China publishes updated biodiversity database – China.org.cn

Blue-tailed bees forage in the Wuyuanwan blue-tailed bee-eater nature reserve in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian province, May 10, 2024. (Photo/Xinhua)

China recently published an updated version of its national species database, known as the China Life Catalog Annual Checklist for 2024, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said on Thursday.

The list includes a total of 155,364 species and subspecies, an increase of 6,690 compared to 2023.

Work on the updated database began in 2008 with the goal of illustrating the country’s annual biodiversity conditions and supporting biodiversity research and conservation efforts, said Ji Liqiang, an official of the CAS Biodiversity Committee.

The list was developed jointly by scientists from the Institute of Zoology, the Institute of Botany, the Institute of Microbiology, the Institute of Oceanology and the Chengdu Institute of Biology under CAS, as well as other institutions.