A crested ibis population rebuild project in southern China was launched on Wednesday.

Forty rare crested ibises bred in a provincial protection base in Deqing county, east China’s Zhejiang Province, will be released in Qianjiangyuan National Forest Park to expand the population.

Although China has released crested ibises many times in various locations, the projects rarely reached the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. This time it fills the gap, said Ding Changqing, professor at Beijing Forestry University.

So far, there are 669 crested ibises in Deqing County, of which 382 are human-raised and the field population has increased to more than 280.

The project was launched by China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The crested ibis rescue and protection base in Xiazhuhu National Wetland Park signed a contract with Hunan Nanshan National Park, Qianjiangyuan National Forestry Park, and Jiangsu Yancheng Wetland National Nature Reserve for Rare Birds to carry out cooperation in crested ibis release, group monitoring, and scientific research.