The biodiversity and natural beauty of Mount Fanjing, including its status as the lone habitat of the iconic golden monkey, ensure its place among the country's top nature reserves, report Yang Feiyue in Beijing and Yang Jun in Guiyang.
Mount Fanjing or Fanjingshan in Tongren, Guizhou province, boasts a variety of species of wild plants and animals. (LI HE / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Flowers were in full blossom at the foot of Mount Fanjing in early April, while traces of white snow still clung to the mountaintop.
Certain plant species, including dove trees and alpine rhododendron, were budding.
The lush vegetation is a major feature of Mount Fanjing or Fanjingshan, which stands northeast of Tongren city in southwestern China's Guizhou province. The mountain resembles a green island emerging from the vast karst landscape of the region.
It requires patience to be with these animals, to know their character and habits.
Yang Shengji, a staff member at Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve
Li Guobin is always happy to see the end of winter. The 58-year-old has been keeping watch on the mountain for 15 years.
"When it rains in winter, it gets pretty slippery, and the temperature mostly drops below zero," Li says.
Li often has to walk among the shrubs, traverse narrow winding paths and climb precipitous cliffs in search of traces of wildlife activity and rare plant distribution, taking notes accordingly.
He spends 25 days on the mountain a month and usually takes a tot of liquor to ward off the cold in winter.
"It's hard, but I feel extremely proud that I can help protect the rare animals and plants of our country," Li says.
Fanjingshan is home to more than 7,100 species of wild plants and animals, an important place of biodiversity in the subtropical zone. There are more than 40 different types of forests, comprising, among others, dove trees and hemlock, as well as endangered animals, including golden monkeys, Tibetan macaques, clouded leopards and black bears.
Mount Fanjing or Fanjingshan in Tongren, Guizhou province, boasts a variety of species of wild plants and animals. (LI HE / FOR CHINA DAILY)
The Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve was established in 1978 and designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1986. The reserve covers an area of more than 77,500 hectares and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018.
Li is in charge of the Gaoping section in the northeast part of the mountain. The area features relatively flat landscape and is an ideal habitat for the Guizhou snub-nosed monkey, also known as the golden monkey.
Years of experiences and his knowledge of the wilderness have made Li feel at home in nature. He can distinguish different animals by their feces, and identify various plants.
To better protect biological activity, the Fanjingshan administration has set up observation stations and put in monitoring equipment.
Li is among more than 100 forest rangers who have stood guard over the mountain through the years.
The rangers wear camouflage uniforms and mountaineering shoes, and carry a bag stuffed with a tent, food and supplies whenever they are out in the woods.
"The major patrol is about monitoring the activities of wildlife, such as the golden monkey, and carrying out protective measures for them," says Yang Zhenghai, a team leader of the rangers.For example, during winter, food is in short supply for the primates, so no stone is left unturned to ensure they stay within areas that contain food, moss and thorny bamboo.
Rangers have to conduct at least three patrols a month, each lasting for three to five days.
In addition to taking care of rare plants and animals, rangers need to keep an eye out for illicit expeditions, such as off-the-books tourism and hunting events, which could pose a threat to local ecology and the visitors themselves.
Yang still remembers how a stray traveler was stranded and on the verge of death after sneaking into the depths of the woods.
"Those untapped areas are not usually covered by a phone signal and the fickle mountain climate can easily catch you unawares," Yang says.
To minimize human interference in the ecology at Fanjingshan, the local authority has relocated residents and put a cap of 8,700 on the number of daily visitors.
Dove trees in blossom on Mount Fanjing. The tree is a world treasured species. (LI HE / FOR CHINA DAILY)
At the same time, the mountain administration has worked with research institutes to study local water, climate and biodiversity to better protect the ecology.
Smart forest fire control, and patrol and tourism safety management systems have been put in place. Animal protection brochures have been distributed among the local residents who live around the periphery of the mountain to raise awareness and to nip possible transgressions in the bud.
Since 2018, more than 46,000 locals have received related education and more than 450 hotels, rural restaurants and homestays have been inspected. Nearly 160 wild animals have been saved.
Those efforts have helped increase the volume of rare flora and fauna.
The number of golden monkeys has risen from 500 in 1993 to more than 750 since the wildlife rescue station was built in the Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve in 1992.
Staff members at the reserve have overcome challenges and managed to breed a third generation of golden monkeys.
One of Yang Shengji's major responsibilities is tracking the primates.
The 54-year-old started working on the mountain in 1993. He has become used to being on his own in the wilderness and sees the golden monkeys as his company.
As long as it's not raining, Yang will get out of the station and explore the mountain in search of the monkeys.
He has sometimes come across 300 to 400 monkeys.
"They wander at will, without fixed tracks," Yang says.
"You can often find them hanging on a tree and basking themselves in the sunshine or grooming their hair."
Sometimes, a fight between male monkeys will erupt.
Yang Wei, deputy director of the rescue center at the Fanjingshan reserve, takes care of a golden monkey. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Over the past three decades, Yang has rescued and helped breed more than 50 golden monkeys.
"They are like kids, and you have to take care of them by feeding them and keeping them company," he says. They are fed fresh leaves and fruits.
"They have a thin stomach wall and rely on food with high fiber to enhance digestion, and food rich in starch should be avoided," Yang says.
Their enclosures also have to be cleaned and sterilized on a daily basis.
"It requires patience to be with these animals, to know their character and habits," he says.
The golden monkeys under Yang's care have grown accustomed to his presence, but, if strangers get too close, they might exhibit aggressive behavior, he warns.
Golden monkeys are an important part of Fanjingshan's biodiversity, and staff members at the reserve have worked to increase their number and record their lives in order to understand how the animals and people can better coexist with each other.
Some of the monkeys at the rescue center have to go through long-term re-wilding training and health monitoring before being released fully back into the wild.
"They might carry some human illnesses, while their wild counterparts don't have the corresponding antigens," explains Yang Wei, deputy director with the rescue center at the reserve.
At the moment, plans for related work to build Fanjingshan into a national park have been finished and submitted to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
Experts say Fanjingshan has an advantage in its application to become a national park in that it is the only natural habitat for the Guizhou snub-nosed monkey and the Fanjingshan fir, both of which have been rated as threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The Guizhou provincial forestry bureau will strive to protect habitats for rare wild animals at Fanjingshan and step up rescue efforts to cover more species.
Li is excited about the prospect of Fanjingshan becoming a national park.
"It will be another historical event after the UNESCO recognition," Li says, adding that he will continue to do his part to protect the mountain.
Wang Jin contributed to the story.
Contact the writers at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn
