Mangshan Mountain proves a biological gene bank
2023-05-23
“Snake Doctor” Chen Yuanhui, 74 years old, made a daily patrol with others from the protection station as usual on May 18. He walked nimbly through the mountains and forests, dressed in camouflage with a bamboo pole in hand and a satchel on his waist.
At the eve of the 23rd of International Day for Biological Diversity, the reporter followed three “doctors” and walked into the national Mangshan Mountain nature reserve for wildlife monitoring and patrol, recording the vigorous and colorful natural world guarded by the mountian protectors.
In early summer, the nature reserve, located in the north foot of Nanling Mountains, possesses lush vegetation and beautiful ecological environment and is an important part of Nanling mountain forests and biological diversity ecological function area. With the total area of 19,833 hectares and vegetation coverage rate of 99.08 %, it is also one of China's 35 priority areas for biodiversity protection.
There are 411 invertebrates in the nature reserve, including national key protected animals like Mangshan Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus, yellow-billed tragopan, white- necked long tailed pheasant, clouded leopard and Forest Musk Deer, 509 recorded insects, 2,659 vascular plants and 222 ferns, including 22 wild plants under national- protection, such as national first-class protected wild plants taxus chinensis var.mairei and bretschneidera sinensis, national secondary-class protected wild plants pinus kwangtungensis and brasenia schreberi.
Besides, Mangshan Mountain is one of the largest, best preserved and most representative native evergreen broad-leaf forest areas at the same latitude on Earth as well. There is still an original secondary forest of more than 6,000 hectares, which is the gathering area of north-south vegetation and a refuge for ancient plants, and where the plants from the subtropical zone and a few from tropical, cold zones coexist.
There are over 2,000 advanced plants recorded in Mangshan Mountain and one of them is the most original citrus: Mangshan wild oranges, which has existed for at least 40 million years and is called “living fossil”.
“Flower Doctor” Deng Guoxing has learned a variety of flowers and tress during the daily patrols.
“Shortly before, to my surprise, a forest musk deer, a global endangered and national first-class protected animal, was discovered when we organized image data captured by infrared cameras, which proves the biological diversity and good wildlife habitat in Mangshan Mountain. In addition, the national first-class key protected wild animal yellow-billed tragopan and the national secondary-class key protected wild animal Chinese Serow, silver pheasant, leopard cat were discovered as well,” “Bird Doctor” Chen Jun introduced.
“Shortly before, to my surprise, a forest musk deer, a global endangered and national first-class protected animal, was discovered when we organized image data captured by infrared cameras, which proves the biological diversity and good wildlife habitat in Mangshan Mountain. In addition, the national first-class key protected wild animal yellow-billed tragopan and the national secondary-class key protected wild animal Chinese Serow, silver pheasant, leopard cat were discovered as well,” “Bird Doctor” Chen Jun introduced.
“We are engaged in monitoring and protecting animals and plants, strengthening science education to enhance the awareness of protecting ecological resources and caring for wildlife, utilizing resource advantages to promote basic scientific research…” Li Yonghui, Director of Mangshan National Nature Reserve Management Bureau, noted that for many years, the management bureau has been taking practical actions to protect biodiversity and safeguard the "biological gene bank".
