Riverside area in Wushan (Five Mountains) of Nantong City (CFP Photo)

Nantong City has recorded 3,508 species in a biodiversity survey, accounting for 58.63% of the total in Jiangsu Province, according to the city’s Department of Ecology and Environment on April 4.

The city has commissioned Nanjing University’s Environmental Planning and Design Institute, the Jiangsu Academy of Environmental Industry and Technology and Nantong University to carry out the biodiversity survey.

Photo taken by an infrared camera shows a sika deer, a species under first-class state protection in China, in the Junshan nature reserve.

The findings include 319 terrestrial vertebrate species and 819 species of aquatic organisms. Besides, the city is also home to 127 rare and endangered species.

Among cities in the coastal province, Nantong stands out for a high level of biodiversity, close to Lianyungang that has 3,673 species found.

A sparrowhawk, a species under second-class state protection in China, is spotted at Junshan nature reserve. 

Nantong is an important stopover site for migratory birds. Hundreds of thousands of waterfowl in about 80 species rest and refuel at the city’s coastal areas during the migration. 13 species of waders account for 1% of the whole population stipulated by the Ramsar criterion for wetland of international importance, according to the Waterbird Population Estimates Fifth Edition.

La Mengke, chief engineer of Nanjing University’s Environmental Planning and Design Institute said the riverside area of in Wushan recorded 37 new species despite its close proximity to busy transport along the Yangtze River and densely populated region.