KUNMING, Broadcasting News Corporation : From the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the tropical rainforests in Xishuangbanna, flagship species such as black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys, Asian elephants and green peacocks are seeing the recovery of their habitats in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. With an area of only 4.1 percent of China’s total land area, the border province boasts the most diverse biological and ecological system in the country, and Yunnan’s total number of nature reserves has increased to 362 at all administrative levels. Over the past decade, the protection rate of key wildlife and plants in the province has notched up 83 percent and 77 percent, respectively. The population of Asian elephants has reached about 360, and that of black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys 3,800. “By the year 2025, the province is expected to have built one national park for Asian elephants and two parks in Gaoligong Mountain and Shangri-La in the Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Meanwhile, Yunnan’s total natural reserves aim to reach 5.56 million hectares, accounting for 14.5 percent of its land area,” said Tian Jianhong, deputy director of the provincial forestry and grassland administration.
COORDINATED ACTION
To protect the environment in a coordinated manner, Yunnan has included biodiversity as part of its conservation efforts of mountain, river, forest, farmland, lake, grassland, and desert ecosystems, according to Cao Yongheng, an official with the provincial department of ecology and environment. Among the many key areas of biodiversity conservation is Erhai Lake, one of the plateau lakes in the province. Wang Feng, a 44-year-old resident near Erhai Lake in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, began to see ottelia acuminata blossom again in Erhai Lake. As an indicator species of the environment, ottelia acuminata exists in fresh water on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and serves as an important ingredient for dishes of the Bai people. Due to the rapid growth of the population and expansion of tourism, pollution-caused eutrophication worsened in Erhai Lake, and ottelia acuminata was decimated by the outbreak of blue algae. To better protect the Erhai Lake and preserve its biodiversity, Yunnan started to repair the environment in the lake by controlling pollution and removing illicit constructions. As of 2020, the local authority of Dali City had moved over 1,800 households away from the lake shore, and the lake’s water quality has improved, too. This water quality improvement allowed ottelia acuminata to reappear in Erhai Lake, and Wang can now take a stroll around the lake and see the flowers scattered throughout the lake again. NEWS COLLECTED FROM XINHUA NEWS.