The population of black-crested gibbons, an endangered species, in a major habitat in southwest China's Yunnan Province has increased, according to a new report.

A recent survey found the number of the black-crested gibbons living at a nature reserve in Jingdong County has risen from just over 200 in the 1980s to more than 500 at present, said Xie Youneng, director of the county's nature reserve administration, on Monday.

To research the daily activities and population of the species, the administration set up a wild monitoring station in 2005, according to Xie.

Thanks to the improved local environment and better public awareness of conservation, the population of gibbons in the reserve has seen an increase, Xie said.

The black-crested gibbon, mainly living in Jingdong County of China's Yunnan Province, Vietnam and Laos, is under top grade national-level protection in China and has also been listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

There are about 1,100 to 1,400 black-crested gibbons living around the world, including nearly 100 in Vietnam and Laos and others in China, Xie said.