Chongqing - On Jinfo Mountain, infrared cameras have recorded young black leaf monkeys in the forest. Along the Yangtze River and its tributaries, monitoring teams track changes in fish species. At Xuebaoshan, efforts to protect the rare Chinese thuja tree extend from its mountain habitat to nurseries and back into the wild.

These efforts are part of Chongqing's broader approach to protecting biodiversity. Across its mountains, forests, and rivers, Chongqing is combining species surveys and long-term monitoring with habitat protection and breeding programs for rare plants and animals.

The work begins with identifying the species that live there. According to an October 9 report by Shangyou News, biodiversity surveys completed across 22 districts and counties recorded 5,041 plant species and 1,858 animal species, including 130 species under national protection.

Experts conduct a field survey of wild plants in Wulipo, Chongqing, documenting the area's plant life as part of biodiversity research. (Photo: Zhou Houlin)

Chongqing's ongoing monitoring covers life on land and in its rivers, tracking wild plants and animals, their habitats, and changes in aquatic species.

Its biodiversity observation network brings together two major monitoring stations on Jinyun Mountain and Jinfo Mountain and 110 monitoring sites and plots. The network covers six ecosystem types: forests, shrublands, grasslands, wetlands, farmland, and urban areas. Infrared cameras record animal activity, acoustic devices capture bird calls, and radar and cameras track birds in flight. The equipment transmits observations and helps identify species.

In its rivers, Chongqing monitors fish at sites along the Yangtze, Jialing, and Wujiang, assessing which species are present and how that changes each year. Surveys recorded 113 fish species in 2025, 21 more than before the fishing ban.

Law enforcement officers patrol the Jialing River in Chongqing's Shapingba District on February 28 to enforce fishing restrictions. (Photo: Guo Jin from Visual Chongqing)

Beyond monitoring, Chongqing protects wildlife and habitats by managing protected areas and tackling illegal hunting. In its rivers, the 10-year ban on commercial fishing in the Yangtze River basin is a key measure to protect fish populations.

According to the Chongqing Forestry Bureau's 2025 forestry biodiversity report, the plan to reorganize protected areas provides for 116 sites covering about 1.12 million hectares, or 13.5 percent of Chongqing's total area. The report notes that protected areas safeguard forests as well as wetland ecosystems, including rivers, reservoirs, and ponds.

For rare plants that struggle to reproduce in the wild, conservation also involves raising seedlings. At Chongqing's Xuebaoshan National Nature Reserve, staff work with forestry researchers to grow Chinese thuja from seeds and stem cuttings, increasing the supply of young trees for planting.

Staff install monitoring equipment in Wulipo to support biodiversity observation in the field. (Photo: Zhou Houlin)

CCTV News reported in February that the program had raised more than 3 million seedlings and returned over 750,000 to the wild. Second-generation trees planted at reintroduction sites had also begun producing seeds.

Coordinating these efforts requires government agencies and research institutions to work together. This year, Chongqing's environmental bureau and nine other municipal departments issued a biodiversity conservation plan for 2026 - 2030, setting out seven programs and 22 specific tasks and objectives, with responsibilities assigned across departments and levels of government.

The plan covers both protecting species in their natural habitats and conserving them elsewhere through breeding and cultivation. Wildlife monitoring and river surveys track changes, while habitat management, fishing restrictions, and breeding programs address different conservation needs. Together, these efforts form Chongqing's biodiversity protection system.