China News Service, Liuzhou, August 16th: Guangxi forest rangers have been "neighbors" with trees for ten years, guarding clear waters and green mountains
Author Wei Guozheng
"The green mountains are green and the water is green, and the forest guard brother travels in the mountains to prevent animals from being beaten, but also afraid that the trees will be stolen..." This is an original folk song created by Li Guifang, an ecological forest ranger in Guangxi.
At about 9 am on the 15th, Li Guifang, as usual, put on a camouflage uniform and stuffed two breads into her backpack. While riding a motorcycle, she sang this original folk song and rushed to a place 6 kilometers away from home. Guangxi Lagou Nature Reserve patrolling mountains.
The picture shows Li Guifang observing the distance with a telescope when he was patrolling the mountains.
Regent Wei Guozheng
Lagou Nature Reserve is located in Lagou Township, Luzhai County, Liuzhou City, Guangxi. It was approved as an autonomous region-level protected area by the Guangxi People's Government in 1982. At present, there are 39 forest rangers in the reserve.
The picture shows Li Guifang wading across the river while patrolling the mountains in the nature reserve, looking for a suitable mountain road.
Regent Wei Guozheng
Li Guifang, 67 years old this year, is the eldest member of the team with an average age of about 35 years old. He grew up in this forest and has seen pangolins, wild boars, civet cats and other wild animals. Animals, this forest is like home to him, with deep feelings.
In 2012, Li Guifang became a forest ranger under the introduction of an old forest ranger after he left the post of village director and had nothing to do.
"The daily work of the forest rangers is to patrol the protected area. If anyone finds that someone is felling trees indiscriminately, hunting wild animals, destroying publicity boards, fences, etc., we must stop and report them in time." Li Guifang said.
He has been patrolling the mountains for nearly ten years as a forest ranger. Although he is in his sixtieth year, he is still "the sword is not old", and climbing mountains and wading is a no-brainer for him.
Li Guifang was patrolling the mountains in Lagou Nature Reserve and stopped to observe the surrounding situation.
Regent Wei Guozheng
The terrain of Lagou Nature Reserve is complicated. In some areas, mountain patrols need to walk several kilometers along the river at the foot of the mountain.
Both sides of the river and the water were full of strange rocks, so Li Guifang habitually rolled up his trouser legs, waded across the river with his trekking poles and Jiefang shoes on.
The Lagou Nature Reserve is 20.59 kilometers from north to south, 22.91 kilometers from east to west, and covers an area of 11,500 hectares. For the team of forest rangers with only 39 people, even if they have memorized every mountain road, it is not easy to patrol a large area.
"If you go home for dinner at noon, go back the same way and patrol the places you've walked in vain," Li Guifang said.
Therefore, after having breakfast and before setting off in the morning, Li Guifang stuffed the dry rations together with the patrol equipment into the bag. Finished work at 5 o'clock.
The picture shows Li Guifang patrolling the mountains.
Regent Wei Guozheng
"When I was a child, people often felled trees indiscriminately, and there were thatch grass everywhere. After the establishment of the protected area, this kind of behavior disappeared, and the vegetation gradually recovered, becoming the habitat of many wild animals." Li Guifang said .
During the ten years of mountain patrolling, Li Guifang has never encountered any deforestation and other behaviors. Seeing that the forest is getting denser and denser, and listening to the sounds of insects and birds getting louder and louder, Li Guifang is very pleased.
At present, the forest coverage rate of Lagou Nature Reserve is 87.8%.
In recent years, drones have become more and more widely used in forest inspections, but Li Guifang always believes that forest protection work is done out of the way, and drones can only see the surface.
15 days a month to patrol the mountains, every other day, 15 kilometers in 8 hours, Li Guifang never feels tired, he said: "As long as I can walk, I will insist on patrolling the mountains!" (End)