KUNMING, May 22 -- China has downgraded the endangered level of nearly 500 wild species, according to its latest assessment of higher plant and vertebrate species.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Chinese Academy of Sciences released an updated red list on China's biodiversity in southwest China's city of Kunming on Monday.

The updated version of the red list shows that the health of the country's wild plants has been improved and that the deterioration of the threatened status of vertebrates has slowed.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences said the new red list covers 39,330 wild higher plant species and 4,767 vertebrate species in China. The endangered statuses of 595 higher plant species and 157 vertebrate species have been updated as additional data has been collected.