(Revisit the sky to see the changes) Endangered plant "sanctuary" on the snow-covered plateau
China News Service, Diqing, July 28th, title: "Sanctuary" for endangered plants on the snow-covered plateau
Reporter Miao Chao Shi Guanglin
In the Napa Sea in midsummer, the deep blue sky and pure white clouds are reflected in the calm lake.
The green grass, dotted yak and cattle, herdsmen, and tourists constitute a beautiful picture of harmony between man and nature.
The picture shows Fang Zhendong observing plants at the Shangri-La Alpine Botanical Garden.
Photo by Liu Ranyang
The Shangri-La Alpine Botanical Garden in Diqing Prefecture, 3400 meters above sea level, is the best viewing spot in Napa Sea.
Fang Zhendong, the person in charge of the botanical garden, has no interest in the scenery, but has moved more and more endangered alpine plant species into the botanical garden for shelter year after year.
Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the hinterland of the Hengduan Mountains in the southeast foot of the Himalayas, where the Jinsha River, Lancang River and Nujiang River flow concurrently without converging, forming a peculiar "Three Parallel Rivers" natural geographic landscape.
These river valleys and high mountains are connected to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the hinterland of Asia in the north, and the tropical area of southern Asia to the south, becoming a channel for the spread of plants from north to south and the intersection of east and west.
Therefore, there are not only many kinds of plants here, but also a high proportion of endemic species.
The picture shows Fang Zhendong doing plant research.
Photo by Liu Ranyang
"Most of Diqing's alpine plant species grow in specific regional environments. With the intensification and extension of human activities, rare and endemic species are facing threats such as habitat disappearance and habitat change." Fang Zhendong said, since graduating from Yunnan University He has been engaged in the research of alpine plants, establishing a sanctuary for Diqing alpine plants, providing a platform for Chinese and foreign scientific research, and establishing a base for popularizing plant protection knowledge. It has always been Fang Zhendong’s dream.
Twenty years ago, Fang Zhendong chose to establish the world's first low-latitude and high-altitude alpine botanical garden on the top of the mountain near Napahai in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province.
This land, the ancient tea-horse road once passed through here; in 1950 for the peaceful liberation of Tibet, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army adhering to the glorious tradition of the Red Army also passed through here; the Yunnan-Tibet Highway paved to support the construction of Tibet also passed by the foot of the mountain .
The picture shows the interior of Shangri-La Alpine Botanical Garden.
Photo by Liu Ranyang
"This is called Zhongdian Prickly Rose. It is a unique plant of Shangri-La, and it is also a city flower of Shangri-La." In the botanical garden, Fang Zhendong pointed to a plant and told reporters, "This was rescued and transplanted from a reservoir submerged area."
After years of hard work, more than 30 species of ferns and more than 1,000 seed plants have been collected and sheltered in the botanical garden. A large number of plant species grow and multiply here, forming a rare species gene pool.
Today, thousands of plants have gathered in the botanical garden, but Fang Zhendong always wants to continue to attract new plants... He recently led a team in the depths of Pudacuo National Park to start sampling and collecting wild rhododendrons.
"The plants here are facing various threats. Our protection concept is to achieve protection through breeding and utilization through breeding."
Not long ago, a theme exhibition on Diqing's image biodiversity was held in Shangri-La Alpine Botanical Garden.
Fang Zhendong specially invited a friend of ecological photographer Peng Jiansheng to explain these works to the visitors.
Like Fang Zhendong, in the past 20 years, Peng Jiansheng has traveled through mountains, valleys, forests, and meadows, using his lens to record the breathtaking moments of countless species of biological plants, and using his camera to record the evolution of biodiversity in Diqing.
"Our Diqing and even China's biodiversity is so rich, so we have to present China's natural beauty to our public, let the public know that there are so many species in China, and then take the initiative to protect them."
Fang Zhendong told reporters that the forest coverage rate of Diqing is 76.58%, 90% of typical ecosystems and 85% of important species are effectively protected.
"Here is the common homeland of'us' and'them', a life community in which man and nature coexist and prosper together. (End)