To boost biodiversity protection, Shandong province in East China has been stepping up efforts to establish a system for protected areas, with national parks serving as the cornerstone.

An Oriental stork flies to its nest on a pole at the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve in Shandong province. [Photo by Yang Bin/For China Daily]

At present, Shandong has established 488 natural protected areas such as nature reserves and wetland parks, basically forming a protection system for wildlife habitats.

In recent years, Shandong has taken measures such as habitat protection for wild animals and plants, joint law enforcement actions, and the establishment of forest germplasm resource banks to effectively protect the province's wild animal and plant resources and improve the ecological environment.

The province has set up 33 stations at or above provincial level to monitor terrestrial wildlife epidemic sources. Seventy-five percent of counties, county-level cities and districts in Shandong have set up sanctuary areas and fence season.

Shandong has established the Shandong branch of the National Forest Germplasm Resources Facility Preservation Bank and 43 provincial forest germplasm resource banks, and established the protection and management system and resource preservation system for forest and grass germplasm resources.