The Baishanzu National Park in Lishui covered with mist before sunrise. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province, people not only celebrate traditional festivals, but also celebrate festivals for wildlife -- such as International Day for Biological Diversity, World Wildlife Day and the Bird Watching Festival -- to show their love and respect for nature.

This year, Lishui has held several competitions and activities related to biodiversity – a Bird Observation Invitational Competition in Baishanzu National Park, a commemoration event for the International Day for Biological Diversity, as well as a biodiversity seminar and a mushroom photography competition held in Baishanzu National Park.

During this year's first Bird Observation Invitational Competition in Baishanzu National Park, as many as 133 species of birds were observed in just 24 hours, according to Li Xuan, executive director of the city's wildlife conservation association.

"We have found so many kinds of birds in the Fengyang Mountain area (of Baishanzu National Park), the number of which has exceeded the historical records of bird species in the area," said Li.

Local officials said more work needs to be done in putting together information.

"It is because the wildlife species in Lishui are far beyond the official statistics, that we have started a background survey of biodiversity in the city," said Luo Yan, who works at the city's ecology and environment bureau.

Luo said last December the bureau entrusted the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment with a three-year biodiversity investigation.

To date, the investigation team has dispatched more than 800 people, investigated more than 2,500 species and collected over 1,800 specimens of plants, large fungi and insects.

Lishui's ecology and environment bureau also put together a series of plans to complete the construction of biodiversity database and regulatory platform this year.