The existing 47 nature reserves in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have effectively protected its typical ecosystem, natural environment, geological sites as well as rare species, according to the Department of Environmental Protection in Tibet on August 16.

Statistics shows that Tibet has so far established 47 natural reserves, including 9 reserves at the national level, 14 at the municipal level and 24 at the county level. These natural reserves cover an area of 413, 700 square kilometers, accounting for 34.47 percent of regional land area, and top among all the provincial reserves across the country.

A total of 125 species of wild animals and 39 species of wild plants of priority protection in China are well protected in these reserves of Tibet.

"These natural reserves, established in 1985, have grown into comprehensive ones by now, protecting not only rare species of wild animals and plants, but also comprehensive ecosystems including forests, grasslands, wetlands and geological sites", said Ouyang Chaobin, Director Assistant in the Bureau of Environmental Protection of Tibet.

Tibetan red deer, once considered as an extinct species in Tibet, were found in the 1990s and have expanded continuously. The number of Tibetan antelopes has also increased to over 150,000, while the number of black-necked cranes has increased to about 7,000.