Beijing recorded 70 new species in 2020, including 12 first discovered in China, according to an ecosystem report released by the Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau on Thursday.

The Chinese capital has documented a total of 5,086 species in its jurisdiction. Among the newly discovered species, three are vascular plants, 16 are insects, 40 are bryophytes, and 11 are macro fungi.

Boasting long stretches of forested mountains and abundant lakes and rivers, Beijing enjoys one of the highest levels of biodiversity among world metropolises. The city lies on a "bird superhighway" known as the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, and is one of the best major capitals in the world for birds in terms of the number of species. It has a total of 497 bird species on record, accounting for 34.4% that of China.

In recent years, the city has been building more green spaces and preservation areas, and restoring more rivers, lakes, and wetlands to provide a better habitat for wildlife and improve the overall ecosystem.

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