WENQUAN, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Dong Hua is a ranger at a ranodon sibiricus nature reserve in Wenquan County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Ranodon sibiricus, also known as Xinjiang salamander, was discovered in the county in 1989.
As a result of human activities and changes in the natural environment, the population of the critically endangered species declined sharply.
To protect the amphibian from extinction, a 700-hectare ranodon sibiricus nature reserve was established in Wenquan County in 1997, which was upgraded to a national nature reserve in 2017.
Twenty years ago, when Dong Hua started working at the reserve, the population of Xinjiang salamander was about 800. Thanks to conservation efforts such as artificial breeding and strengthened monitoring and patrol, now its population has risen to over 3,000.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service