Qingdao in East China's Shandong province is a haven for countless creatures. [Photo/Guanhai News]

Qingdao, known as the "ecological pearl of the Yellow Sea", is a sanctuary for a wide variety of creatures. Its six bays line the coast like a necklace, with 23 natural reserves dispersed throughout the region.

Laoshan Mountain, the highest peak on China's mainland coastline, acts as an essential ecological barrier and a rich hub of biodiversity. In 2022, Qingdao initiated a biodiversity survey in Laoshan Mountain's priority conservation area.

Over nearly 30 months, the team systematically surveyed and assessed the region's ecosystems, flora, and fauna, establishing a baseline of Laoshan's biodiversity. The survey identified 3,081 species (including subspecies), with over 50 nationally protected species, such as semi-wild ginkgo, semi-wild metasequoia, wild soybeans, and first and second-level protected species like black storks, oriental white storks, Baer's pochards, and peregrine falcons.

Several new species or records of species distribution and breeding were published during the survey, including the global new species Dicranoptycha Shandongensis, marking Qingdao's contribution to the world insect atlas.

Following Laoshan, Qingdao began biodiversity survey and assessment work in the priority conservation areas of Dazeshan and Fushan Bay last year.

Currently, over 2,500 species have been documented, with the Dazeshan priority area recording 714 species of terrestrial plants and 428 species of insects, creating a species "gene bank" for the hilly ecosystem of the Jiaodong Peninsula. The hidden Rana coreana, found in the dense forest, is a new recorded species in Qingdao.

Currently, Fushan Ecological Park has documented over 400 species of higher plants, over 270 species of insects, and 180 species of birds, setting a historical record for the city's green lung in terms of biological carrying capacity.