The beautiful scenery in Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

During the 8th Summit for Subnational Governments and Cities, an official parallel event to the 16th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, Lishui in Zhejiang province was honored as a "Charming City of Biodiversity" on Oct 27.

The selection of such cities aims to display and recognize cities and regions that have achieved outstanding results in biodiversity conservation, promoting the implementation of global biodiversity governance goals.

Known as "Zhejiang's Green Valley", Lishui has been intentional about modernizing its ecological environment governance. The city's ecological environment has consistently improved, with its water and air quality leading the nation for years and its ecological status index leading the province for 20 consecutive years.

Notably, Lishui was the first city in China to complete a full-scale biodiversity baseline survey. The survey recorded 3,687 species of vascular plants, 635 species of vertebrates, 2,608 species of terrestrial insects, 134 species of fish, and 2,040 species of large fungi.

To date, Lishui has discovered 28 new global species, as well as several rare and endangered species such as the yellow-bellied tragopan pheasant and the black muntjac deer.

Additionally, Lishui has designated over three-quarters of its land for ecological priority protection, and formed a natural protection system centered around the Baishanzu National Park.