BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have launched a nationwide campaign against crimes involving birds and other wildlife in the latest effort to bolster ecological conservation.

Running from June to December, the operation targets illegal hunting, especially cases involving firearms and drones, as well as the online trade of wildlife for consumption, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said on Thursday.

Authorities said they would target every stage of the illegal trade chain, from poaching and purchasing to distribution, while dismantling criminal networks.

Police will also strengthen cooperation with law enforcement agencies from other countries to tackle cross-border wildlife crimes.

China lies along four of the world's nine major migratory bird flyways and is home to 1,505 bird species, including more than 800 migratory species, according to official data.

The latest campaign is part of the country's broader biodiversity protection drive that authorities say has helped stabilize and increase populations of many endangered bird species.

Moreover, bird flocks have become larger and more diverse across the country, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Wang Weisheng, an official with the administration, said 98.4 percent of China's bird species are now protected by law, with 394 species under national key protection.

The crested ibis has become one of China's best-known conservation success stories. Once believed extinct in the country, the species was rediscovered in Shaanxi Province in the northwest in 1981, when seven wild birds were found.

By the end of 2025, its global population had exceeded 12,000, and its habitat had expanded to more than 20,000 square kilometers, according to the Forestry Bureau of Shaanxi.

The species has been reclassified from "Critically Endangered" to "Endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Police investigated more than 9,700 wildlife-related criminal cases during last year's campaign, including more than 3,500 involving birds, according to the MPS.

Notably, they coordinated cross-regional operations along the Yellow River, carrying out a sweeping crackdown on crimes involving migratory birds from its upper to lower reaches.

The latest operation comes as China continues to advance green development and strengthen broader environmental protection efforts in recent years.

The country's air quality has improved, with the concentration of fine particulate matter in cities at or above the prefecture level falling by 20 percent cumulatively, making blue skies an increasingly common sight.

China has also made progress in restoring rivers and expanding green spaces. Black, malodorous water bodies in cities at or above the prefecture level have been largely addressed, said Jiang Huohua, an official with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

As more parks and greenways have been built, the green coverage rate of China's urban built-up areas has exceeded 40 percent, according to official data.

A 10-year fishing ban along the Yangtze River has also contributed to ecosystem recovery. As water quality has improved, the population of the Yangtze finless porpoise -- widely regarded as a key indicator of the river's ecological health -- has seen a historic rebound.

However, policymakers are well aware of the significant challenges that China still faces in ecological and environmental protection, and recognize that the ecological environment has yet to reach a critical turning point, at which years of quantitative improvements can pave the way for qualitative transformation.

Part of this broader push involves stronger law enforcement efforts to protect fragile ecosystems. The MPS, for example, conducted special operations in recent years to safeguard the Yangtze's ecosystem by cracking down on illegal fishing and illicit sand mining.

In the 2024 campaign alone, police solved more than 5,200 criminal cases and dismantled over 710 criminal gangs, said the MPS.