On March 10, Yunnan Province, long known as China's "Kingdom of Plants" and "Kingdom of Animals," still faces challenges in biodiversity protection. Zhang Keqin, a deputy to the National People's Congress and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in Beijing on March 10 that monitoring and early warning systems for invasive alien species need to be improved.

The Yunnan delegation to the Second Session of the 14th National People's Congress held an open group meeting on March 10, where Zhang Keqin made the remarks in response to a question from a China News Service reporter.

Zhang Keqin noted that Yunnan has diverse vertical climate zones, including tropical, subtropical, temperate and cold-temperate zones. Although it accounts for only 4.1 percent of the country's land area, it is home to more than 50 percent of China's species.

Previously, the 124-day, more than 1,400-kilometer northward journey and return south of Asian elephants attracted global attention. Zhang Keqin said this showcased a new image of harmony between humanity and nature, epitomized the close harmony between people and nature in Yunnan, and served as a Chinese model for biodiversity conservation.

Zhang Keqin believes that Yunnan's biodiversity protection currently faces three major challenges: surveys in some areas remain weak or even blank; the overall planning for biodiversity protection and the big data sharing platform need further improvement; and research on monitoring and early warning of invasive alien species needs to be strengthened.

Zhang Keqin said Yunnan is advancing biodiversity and ecological environmental protection mainly through four aspects: establishing relevant laws and regulations, improving the protected natural areas system, strengthening the development of scientific research platforms, and cultivating talent teams.