“Every Summer,” jointly produced by the Zhejiang Eco-Environmental Education and Communications Center and the CNS Zhejiang Branch, was released across the internet on August 15. The film takes viewers to Zhejiang’s islands to explore the conservation story of the Chinese crested tern.

Known as the “mythical bird” because of its extremely small population, the Chinese crested tern disappeared from human sight for more than 60 years at one point. Since 2013, Zhejiang has carried out efforts to artificially attract Chinese crested terns and restore their population. After more than a decade of sustained efforts, the number of adult Chinese crested terns in Zhejiang now accounts for more than 85 percent of the global population.

As China’s first province designated as an “ecological province,” Zhejiang is now striving to build an ecological province at an even higher level. The protection of biodiversity, exemplified by efforts to safeguard the “mythical bird,” has not only become an important focus in achieving this goal, but has also gradually

emerged as a new calling card for Zhejiang’s green development in recent years.

According to data from the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, the province has so far recorded 13,634 biological species, including 6,606 species of higher plants, 4,663 species of terrestrial animals, 198 species of freshwater fish, 121 species of marine fish, 332 other aquatic species, and 1,714 species of macrofungi.

This rich spectrum of species is made possible by the province’s natural foundation, traditionally described as “seventy percent mountains, ten percent water, and twenty percent farmland.” This unique landscape features diverse ecosystems, including forests, oceans, freshwater, wetlands, and agricultural lands, while also benefiting from the sustained execution of a wide range of conservation initiatives.

As the birthplace and a pioneering practitioner of the concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,” Zhejiang has continuously improved its top-level planning for biodiversity conservation in recent years. For example, the province incorporates biodiversity conservation into the annual task list for building a Beautiful Zhejiang, encouraging cities, counties and departments to work toward common goals. Biodiversity conservation was also written into the Regulations of Zhejiang Province on Ecological and Environmental Protection, which took effect in 2022, further strengthening its importance and regulatory standard. In addition, Zhejiang has innovatively introduced a biodiversity-friendly index to jointly promote the mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation.

Understanding its own biodiversity resources is a prerequisite for effective conservation. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Zhejiang invested nearly 200 million RMB (about 29.66 million USD) in provincial special funds for ecological and environmental protection. Biodiversity surveys were conducted across the entire province, with the results published and the aforementioned 13,634 species recorded.

Meanwhile, provincial departments in Zhejiang have continuously carried out county-level baseline surveys of wildlife resources, surveys of invasive alien species, and censuses of crop germplasm resources. Through the implementation and operation of systems such as the “Biodiversity Investigation and Supervision System” and the “Zhe-Yang Ecological Application,” the province is progressively advancing the construction of an integrated “space-air-ground”monitoring network, thereby accelerating the smart and digital upgrading of biodiversity monitoring.

In strengthening ecological conservation redlines and stepping up rescue and protection efforts for rare and endangered species, Zhejiang has continued to write new chapters.

In Shangyu District of Shaoxing City, for example, local development plans have repeatedly been adjusted to make way for migratory birds. A photovoltaic project with an investment of 90 million yuan (about 13.35 million USD), originally planned for a core area of bird activity, was halted because reflections from the panels could cause visual disturbances to the birds. The 20-megawatt photovoltaic panels were ultimately distributed across the rooftops of dozens of local enterprises. During the construction of a major seawall safety project—the largest of its kind in local history—the method of transporting construction spoil was replaced by slurry-pump filling. Although the change increased construction costs by nearly 10 million yuan (about 1.48 million USD), it reduced disturbance to birds during construction.

Across the province, Zhejiang has so far designated 36,700 square kilometers as ecological conservation redlines and established a system of protected natural areas covering 14,700 square kilometers. This year, it became the first province in China to complete the integration and optimization of its protected natural areas. Through measures such as remote-sensing monitoring and the “Green Shield” campaign to strengthen supervision of protected natural areas, as well as mechanisms including the “forest chief” system, “river chief” system and “ecological policing”, Zhejiang has worked to ensure that biodiversity conservation is implemented on the ground.

According to the Bulletin on New Discoveries of Wild Plant and Animal Species in Zhejiang Province released by the Zhejiang Provincial Forestry Bureau, as of the end of 2025, Zhejiang’s crested ibis population had surged from just 10 birds two decades ago to 960, with the province establishing China’s largest captive breeding base. Concurrently, the Putuo hornbeam, which once had only a single wild survivor left, has seen over 4,000 individuals reintroduced into the wild. Meanwhile, the wild population of the Baishanzu fir—once down to a mere three trees—has expanded to nearly 4,000 individuals…

Biodiversity conservation is not a task for a small number of people. It requires coordination among different sectors and the participation and sharing of benefits by the entire population.

At present, Zhejiang is promoting interprovincial cooperation on biodiversity conservation. In areas bordering different provinces, including the demonstration zone of green and integrated ecological development of the Yangtze River Delta, the Taihu Lake region and the Quzhou-Huangshan-Nanping-Shangrao area, the province is carrying out cross-provincial joint biodiversity conservation and coordinated governance. Meanwhile, Zhejiang has pioneered the establishment of biodiversity experience sites in China, with a total of 53 provincial-level sites established to date. The province was also the first in China to propose and develop a biodiversity-friendly brand, and this year became the first province in China to launch biodiversity-friendly city development across its entire territory.

(Reporter: Wang Yifei)