The northern part of Yunnan Province has been declared the world's largest habitat of the internationally endangered black-necked crane.
According to a survey jointly organized by the International Crane Foundation (ICF) and the Yunnan Provincial Department of Forestry, there are more than 2,500 black-necked cranes in five counties in northern Yunnan Province, known as the "Kingdom of Flowers and Plants".
The black-necked crane is a rare bird that inhabits tablelands. Its tall and beautiful figure makes it valuable for bird-watching and scientific research.
The number of black-necked cranes in the world is around 6,000, of which 4,000 live in China. It can only be seen in remote areas of Qinghai, Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces and the Tibet Autonomous Region. Yunnan Province is home to 2,500 black-necked cranes, more than one third of the world's total.
To provide a favorable environment for this rare species, Yunnan Province has been building nature reserves, converting poor farmland into grassland and setting up roosts for the cranes since the early 1990s.
(People's Daily March 20, 2002)
