A 5-year integrated biological research project confirms that Hainan Province has the most biological resources in China, with its number of species and amount of animals and plants per unit area of land far more than that of other provinces.

Beginning in 1997, the Hainan Provincial Forestry Administration organized experts from the Beijing Zoological Institute, the South China Botanical Institute, the Zhongshan University and Hainan University to make an integrated inspection of Hainan's biological resources.

According to statistics from the Hainan Provincial Forestry Administration as compiled from the study, the Hainan is now home to 3,200 species of terrestrial animals, as well as 560 species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and beasts.

The biological diversity in Hainan is reflected not only in abundant species, but also in the density of their biological distribution, said Wang Chundong, chief of the Hainan Provincial Wildlife Protection Station. For instance, the 15,000-hectare (37,066-acre) Nature Reserve of Wuzhishan Mountain, located in central Hainan, has more than 2,000 species of wild animals and plants, and the species of freshwater fish alone amount to some 70.

In addition, Hainan has the most unique species of living things among all the provinces. As of the present time, 13 species of amphibians and reptiles peculiar to Hainan Province have been found in the province.

(南方日报 [Nanfang Daily], translated by Zhang Tingting for china.org.cn May 16, 2002)