Western section of national park in Fujian welcomes first ecological research effort

An ecological research activity was kicked off on Feb. 27, 2022 in the western section of the Wuyi Mountain National Park in southeast China’s Fujian Province, aiming to investigate the forest ecosystem and the wild plant and animal resources there.

Experts conduct a survey on the forest ecosystem in the western section of the Wuyi Mountain National Park in southeast China’s Fujian Province. (People’s Daily Online/Jiao Yan)

The western section of the Wuyi Mountain National Park is located in Zhaili township, Guangze county, Fujian. Fifteen experts from nine scientific research institutions took part in the activity.

On April 13, 2021, a survey was launched in the Wuyi Mountain National Park to investigate the park’s biological resources, including its ecosystem, vegetation system, higher order plants, terrestrial vertebrates, aquatic species, insects and microbes. So far, 11 species have been newly discovered during the survey, which will be carried out over three years.

About 377,700 mu (25,180 hectares) of land under the jurisdiction of Guangze county has been put under protection inside the Wuyi Mountain National Park, accounting for 25 percent of the total area of the park.

Officially approved in 2021 as one of China’s first five national parks, Wuyi Mountain National Park has a primary forest area covering 210.7 square kilometers, preserving the most complete, typical and largest primary forest ecosystem characteristic of a mid-subtropical zone at the same latitude on the planet.

“There are 358 protected areas in Fujian and we have primarily established a protected area system which is able to preserve more than 85 percent of rare and endangered species and more than 70 percent of typical ecosystems in the province,” said Wang Zhizhen, director of the forestry bureau of Fujian.

Experts conduct a survey on the forest ecosystem in the western section of the Wuyi Mountain National Park in southeast China’s Fujian Province. (People’s Daily Online/Jiao Yan)

An expert investigates soil collected in the western section of the Wuyi Mountain National Park in southeast China’s Fujian Province. (People’s Daily Online/Jiao Yan)

Photo shows mosses and lichens discovered in the western section of the Wuyi Mountain National Park in southeast China’s Fujian Province. (People’s Daily Online/Jiao Yan)

Photo shows the huperzia serrata, a plant species under second-class state protection in China, in the western section of the Wuyi Mountain National Park in southeast China’s Fujian Province. (People’s Daily Online/Jiao Yan)

Photo shows the launch ceremony for the three-year ecological research activity to be carried out in the western section of the Wuyi Mountain National Park in southeast China’s Fujian Province. (People’s Daily Online/Jiao Yan)

Photo shows the scenery of a lake located in the western section of the Wuyi Mountain National Park in southeast China’s Fujian Province. (Photo/Huang Hai)

Photo shows scenery in the western section of the Wuyi Mountain National Park in southeast China’s Fujian Province. (Photo/Huang Hai)