By continuously intensifying efforts to protect and restore marine ecosystems, China has seen an overall improvement in the health of its marine ecosystems. Populations and habitats of rare marine species have notably recovered, and significant progress has been made in conserving marine biodiversity.

　　Jiao Jian, a reporter for CCTV’s Central News Agency: Right next to me now is the first non-Australian fur seal pup born recently in Sanya, along with its mother. The little seal hasn’t been weaned yet and has been staying closely by its mother all the time. As the little seal has very high requirements for its living environment, staff members take turns providing round-the-clock, dedicated care 24 hours a day, and they also conduct regular health checks on the pup.

　　According to staff members, this baby sea lion is female and represents the first offspring born from a pair of 5-and-a-half-year-old sea lions that mated naturally. To ensure the healthy growth of both the mother sea lion and her baby, staff have set up a “sea lion postpartum care center” for them, providing the mother with a special “postpartum diet” to guarantee that the baby sea lion receives ample breast milk. Sea lions are classified as national second-level protected animals. In recent years, 302 species of wild aquatic animals have been added to the national protection list. These conservation measures have created favorable conditions for the recovery of populations of rare marine species.

　　Zhang Jiayang, head of the Hainan Province Aquatic Wildlife Rescue Station: Since 2018, we have rescued a total of 23 sea turtles. Most of these turtles were unable to live normally because they had ingested foreign objects. We administer medications that promote excretion and digestion to help them eliminate these foreign objects from their bodies. Once they are fully capable of feeding and swimming again, and after carefully assessing their physical health and ability to recover, we release the turtles back into the ocean. In recent years, we’ve noticed that the frequency of rescues has declined compared to the previous two years—this is thanks to the growing environmental awareness among the public.

　　In recent years, China has strengthened the protection of critical marine habitats and established a marine ecological conservation system primarily consisting of nature reserves and marine parks.

　　To strengthen the protection of sea turtle nesting sites, Sansha City has established the first sea turtle conservation center on Beidao Island. Recently, a new batch of rescued sea turtles, after receiving medical treatment and rehabilitation at the Beidao Sea Turtle Rescue and Conservation Center, were released back into the ocean. The green sea turtle is a nationally protected species of Grade I importance and is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Mature sea turtles mostly lay their eggs on secluded beaches far from human activity; yet no matter how far they travel, they will always return to their original nesting grounds to reproduce. However, if their habitat is damaged or altered, sea turtles will abandon their previous nesting beaches and begin searching for new, more suitable breeding sites.

　　To minimize human interference as much as possible, the local community has innovatively leveraged technology to support sea turtle conservation. By using infrared cameras combined with AI recognition technology, they can capture and identify a series of behaviors—including sea turtles coming ashore and laying eggs—thus not only minimizing the impact of human activities on the turtles’ natural behaviors but also greatly enhancing the efficiency of patrol personnel. According to the latest data, the number of sea turtle nests where females come ashore to lay eggs has increased from 74 in 2018 to 154 last year—the highest number of green sea turtle nesting sites ever recorded.

　　Cao Ke, Deputy Director of the National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment: The overall improvement in China’s marine ecological environment has also provided excellent habitats for these rare and endangered species, leading to more frequent sightings of some of these precious marine species. The functional capacity of regional marine ecosystems has significantly improved, and biodiversity conservation has been markedly enhanced, contributing to the construction of a Beautiful China and offering valuable practical insights for global marine ecosystem protection.