China has granted two nature reserves in the Tibet Autonomous Region in its southwest the status of state-level protection zones to ensure the protection of the rare black-necked crane.

The valley along the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River and the Senyingco nature reserve, two newly-created protection zones, are major habitats of rare cranes in Tibet.

Covering more than 8,000 square km, the two nature reserves span four prefectures and cities in Tibet. The establishment of the two protection zones brings the total number of state-level nature reserves in Tibet to seven.

The forerunners of the two new state-level nature reserves are two black-necked crane protection zones respectively located in Lhunzhub and Xainza counties. They became regional-level nature reserves in 1985.

Thanks to the effective measures that Tibet has taken to protect rare cranes, the number of cranes spending the winter in this southwestern region has grown rapidly in recent years.

Experts say that more than 1,600 black-necked cranes migrated to Lhunzhub County alone this past winter, compared with only 700 in 1992.

Biologists from China and the United States estimate that about4,200 black-necked cranes spent this past winter in Tibet. Black-necked cranes usually stay in Tibet for about six months.

At present, there are more than 5,000 black-necked cranes living in the world. The remote areas of Tibet, Yunnan, Qinghai and Guizhou provinces are among the few habitats of black-necked cranes in China.

(People's Daily June 30, 2003)