A decline in the tiger population has been reversed, according to Yan Xun, China's top wildlife official.

The latest wildlife census shows the number of wild Siberian tigers in China has risen from between 12 and 16 in 2000 to between 18 and 22.

"This is due to better protection of their habitat and prey," he said. "Tigers are on top of the ecological chain, but there are more difficulties in conserving tigers than other rare species," said Yan, the State Forestry Administration's chief engineer for wildlife conservation.