The population of red-crowned cranes in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has increased during the past 12 years, according to the provincial forestry department.

The total number of red-crowned cranes in Heilongjiang increased from 500 in 2000 to the present 700, which accounts for a quarter of the total population of the world's red-crowned cranes, said a source with the forestry department.

The wetlands in Heilongjiang Province covers about 8.7 million hectares, 5.6 million hectares of which are natural wetlands, providing a major habitat for red-crowned cranes and other wildlife.

Red-crowned cranes, an endangered species, are usually found in the northeast of the country. China's largest artificial breeding center for the cranes, the Zhalong State Nature Reserve for Red-Crowned Cranes, is located in the city of Qiqihar, west of Heilongjiang Province.

(Xinhua News Agency February 20, 2012)