He added that the ministry will also launch demonstration programs in key areas for biodiversity protection as it strives to promote legislation to protect biodiversity.

Meanwhile, speaking on June 5 at an event held in Xining, Qinghai's provincial capital, to mark World Environment Day, Huang said China will speed up construction of a countrywide protected land system where national parks will play a dominant role.

The country will also accelerate efforts to roll out protection and restoration projects for key ecosystems and major projects for biodiversity conservation, he added.

The ongoing efforts on conservation have already paid off, as can be seen in Qinghai.

Speaking at the June 5 event, Xin Changxing, governor of Qinghai, said the number of Przewalski's gazelle in the province, a species of antelope listed as endangered, has risen from about 300 at the end of the last century to the current 2,700.

The population of Tibetan antelopes experienced even more robust growth. "From a record low of less than 20,000, the number in Qinghai alone has now reached more than 70,000," Xin said.