Researcher devoted to safeguarding ecosystem stability in China's Changbai Mountains

Jia Xiang, a researcher at the Changbai Mountain scientific research institute, checks on the growth of Sichuan thuja saplings at a nursery base of Changbai Mountain scientific research institute in northeast China's Jilin Province, on May 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Lyu Shuai)

Jia Xiang, a researcher at the Changbai Mountain scientific research institute, is one of the scientific researchers who have dedicated themselves to forest ecological protection in the Changbai Mountains, an important ecological barrier in Northeast Asia cited as a "gene bank of species.”

Conducting botanical research for eight years, Jia often goes into primeval forests in the mountains located in northeast China's Jilin Province to obtain first-hand data.

"I'm always thinking about the mountains, waters, plants and trees here. I have to go see, touch and smell them on location to find direction and lay a foundation for my research, so as to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Changbai Mountains' forest ecosystem," Jia said.

In an effort to protect the "rare ecological paradise" of the Changbai Mountains, China established the Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve in 1960. Since then, scientific research on ecological protection and comprehensive environmental studies has been carried out in the mountains in an all-round manner.

For decades, generations of researchers have worked tirelessly and meticulously in the mountains, conducting long-term studies on forest ecology, natural environment, geology, topography, hydrology, meteorology, and wildlife resources, among other fields.

Aside from fundamental research in the mountains, researchers also work on the conservation and breeding of rare species, according to Jia.

By gathering data and conducting "checkups" on the mountains, they safeguard the stability of the mountains' ecosystem, he explained.