Research team makes efforts to conserve endangered species in China's Xizang-Tibet Online

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Research team makes efforts to conserve endangered species in China's Xizang

June 03, 2026Source: Xinhua

Staff members of the Xuebaoshan national nature reserve record data of Thuja sutchuenensis seedlings at an experimental base in Mangkam County, Qamdo, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, June 5, 2024. (Photo by Zheng Yu/Xinhua)
Researchers check Thuja sutchuenensis at the research base of Xuebaoshan national nature reserve in Kaizhou District of southwest China's Chongqing, June 1, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)
This photo taken on June 1, 2026 shows a view of Thuja sutchuenensis at the research base of Xuebaoshan national nature reserve in Kaizhou District of southwest China's Chongqing. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)
An aerial drone photo taken on June 1, 2026 shows a view of the Thuja sutchuenensis research base of Xuebaoshan national nature reserve in Kaizhou District of southwest China's Chongqing. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)
This photo taken on June 1, 2026 shows seeds of Thuja sutchuenensis at the research base of Xuebaoshan national nature reserve in Kaizhou District of southwest China's Chongqing. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)
Researchers check Thuja sutchuenensis at the research base of Xuebaoshan national nature reserve in Kaizhou District of southwest China's Chongqing, June 1, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)
Researchers check Thuja sutchuenensis seedlings at the research base of Xuebaoshan national nature reserve in Kaizhou District of southwest China's Chongqing, June 1, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)
A researcher weights seeds of Thuja sutchuenensis at the research base of Xuebaoshan national nature reserve in Kaizhou District of southwest China's Chongqing, June 1, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)
This photo taken on June 1, 2026 shows seedlings of Thuja sutchuenensis at the research base of Xuebaoshan national nature reserve in Kaizhou District of southwest China's Chongqing. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)
Researchers check Thuja sutchuenensis seedlings at the research base of Xuebaoshan national nature reserve in Kaizhou District of southwest China's Chongqing, June 1, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

Wild Thuja sutchuenensis is an endangered species of gymnosperm endemic to China and under national first-class protection.

To conserve the species, the research team at the Chongqing Xuebaoshan national nature reserve has spent many years conducting field investigations, studying wild Thuja sutchuenensis populations. Working in collaboration with multiple research institutions, the team has successfully enabled large-scale artificial propagation of Thuja sutchuenensis. To date, more than 3.51 million seedlings have been cultivated, including 120,000 seedlings reintroduced into the wild this year, bringing the cumulative number of reintroduced plants to over 870,000.

Since March 2023, the artificially bred Thuja sutchuenensis have been transplanted to 80 experimental bases in 20 provinces and autonomous regions including Yunnan, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Gansu and Xizang for ex-situ conservation and adaptive cultivation. After years of dedicated efforts, the survival of this species has been effectively secured, while its ecological functions and economic value continue to grow.