China Reports Broad Conservation Gains Across Nature Reserves and Ecological Redlines

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment reported substantial environmental improvements across its key conservation areas, according to state media. An official assessment covering 452 national-level nature reserves classified 98.9 percent as either 'excellent' or 'good,' with 87.1 percent showing increased populations of key protected wildlife and plant species. All national-level reserves are now fully integrated into the ecological protection redline framework, which encompasses more than 30 percent of China's total terrestrial territory to secure critical ecological functions.

The assessment provides quantitative benchmarks showing progress in China's ecological baseline governance and biodiversity conservation, signaling that the national redline system and nature reserve administration have transitioned into an institutionalized supervision phase.

China has recorded broad improvements across its primary conservation zones and ecological protection redlines, according to an assessment released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment reported by CCTV News. The evaluation covered all 452 national-level nature reserves across the country. Of these, 236 reserves were rated "excellent," 211 received a "good" rating, and five were classified as "moderate," yielding an overall favorable rate of 98.9 percent. The ministry reported that 87.1 percent of the nature reserves recorded increases in the populations of their primary protected wildlife and plant species. Furthermore, the ranges of several flagship and endangered species—including the giant panda, Asian elephant, golden snub-nosed monkey, Yangtze finless porpoise, snow leopard, and Amur tiger and leopard—have continued to expand. Environmental quality within these reserves also remained high, with 97.3 percent of the evaluated reserves maintaining excellent surface water quality. Ecosystems spanning forests, grasslands, and wetlands were described as effectively preserved and restored. The ministry highlighted that in 2023, China finalized the delimitation process to incorporate ecologically critical areas—such as major water conservation zones—and ecologically vulnerable or sensitive zones into its ecological protection redline system. All 452 national-level nature reserves have now been formally integrated into this redline perimeter. Functioning as China's fundamental spatial boundary for ecological security, the ecological protection redline system currently covers more than 30 percent of the nation's total terrestrial land area. The official assessment concluded that environmental conditions within these redline boundaries have shown broad improvement, with boundary areas remaining stable, ecosystem service capacities strengthening, and regulatory oversight mechanisms progressively maturing.