Expert: Asian elephants' trek reflects environmental progress

The world’s spotlight has focused on a herd of wild Asian elephants that wandered more than 500 kilometers in Southwest China’s Yunnan province over the past 17 months. The elephants have returned home to the habitat where they previously lived in Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve.

China’s efforts in ecological civilization have contributed to the growth of the wild elephant population, which led to increased forest coverage in China and developed public awareness, said Huang Wenbin, Beijing regional program head of World Wildlife Fund China.

The migration of the wild Asian elephants, Huang stressed, has also reminded people to consider the scientific management of the environment. Huang mentioned enhancing the forest’s capability to accommodate increasing numbers of wildlife and sustainably supply water and shelter.

Huang added it’s foreseeable that the wildlife population will increase and more ecosystems will be restored, marking a critical step toward people living in harmony with nature.

Video: Pan Yixuan

Producers: Zhu Ping, Zhang Chunyan, Song Wei

Supervisor: Xing Zhigang