It is home to nearly 1,300 species of vertebrates. Among them, 145 species are under State-level protection, including the giant panda, snub-nosed monkey in Sichuan and snow leopard, said Zhang who is also executive chief of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

A national key laboratory is needed to study them and offer suggestions on how to protect them, he said.

At the launch ceremony, Zhang's center signed a cooperation framework agreement with Lanzhou University, Beijing Normal University and Sichuan Agricultural University to jointly study reproductive biology, genetics, disease control and prevention and provide insights on rare animal protection.

The lab will also exchange research achievements with animal protection organizations at home and abroad.