Biodiversity is the sum of the ecological complex formed by organisms (animals, plants, microorganisms) and environment & the various ecological processes related to it, including three levels of ecosystem, species and gene. Biodiversity is the basis of life. The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 as the International Day for Biological Diversity to increase people's understanding of biodiversity issues and raise their awareness of biodiversity conservation.
White cranes at the Momoge Wetland
Chinese mergansers
Siberian tiger
Jilin is a big ecological province with a high degree of biodiversity. There are 76 species of wild animals in Jilin province catalogued on the List of Wildlife under Special State Protection (including 18 species under Class I and 58 species under Class II), and 290 species of wild terrestrial animals catalogued on the Jilin provincial list of wildlife under special protection. A number of rare wild animals under Class I state protection such as Siberian tiger, Amur leopard, sika deer, oriental white stork, red-crowned crane and white crane play an important role in the rescue and protection of world's endangered species. At present, there are more than 440 species of wild terrestrial animals living in Jilin province, accounting for 17.66 percent of the total number in the country. The number of bird species accounts for 30.36 percent of the number in the country. There are more than 3,890 species of wild plants in Jilin province, which accounts for 13 percent of the national wild plant species, and 16 species of which catalogued on the List of Wild Plant under Special State Protection (the first batch), including 3 species under Class I and 13 species under Class II. 219 species of wild plants are under the special protection of Jilin province, including 11 species under Class I, 88 species under Class II and 120 species under Class III.
Jilin province attaches great importance to the work of biodiversity protection and takes it as an important lever for ecological civilization construction to unremittingly promote. The department of ecology and environment has focused on carrying out the building of biodiversity conservation areas, strengthening the supervision of nature reserves, and further promoting the establishment of ecological demonstration, so as to unremittingly strengthen the work of biodiversity conservation. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the department has pushed and completed the building of 10 biodiversity conservation areas, organized and implemented the plan for aquatic biodiversity conservation of the Songhua River and Liao River basin, as well as promoted and carried out the investigation and protection of aquatic biodiversity.
Changbai Mountain Grand Canyon
Flowers blossom at wetland
Yanming Lake
Jilin province has continuously launched special programs called "Green Shield" to strengthen the supervision of nature reserves, and the ecological environment has been treated and restored. The province has also unremittingly promoted the establishment of ecological demonstration and made efforts to set demonstrations and examples of ecological civilization construction and biodiversity conservation—Qianguo county and Ji'an city are named as the national practice and innovation bases for "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", and Tonghua county, Ji'an city, Tonghua city and Meihekou city are named as the national demonstration cities and counties for ecological civilization construction.