Guarding greenery on Northeast China's Changbai Mountain

CHANGCHUN - As dawn light casts a glow over Changbai Mountain, Jia Xiang and his team begin another demanding day of fieldwork. They meticulously document each tree's growth and analyze the dynamic changes of the diverse plant life.

"It is like monitoring the pulse of plants. Every piece of data is vital for understanding the health of the forest," said Jia, an engineer at the Changbai Mountain scientific research institute.

Changbai Mountain, located in Northeast China's Jilin province, stands as one of the country's most intact natural ecosystems, featuring a rich diversity of climate types and biological communities. Established in 1960, the Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve now hosts 2,639 wild plant species and 1,586 wild animal species.

The mountain's pristine wilderness and impressive biodiversity have revealed vast potential for scientific discovery, attracting numerous researchers, including Jia. After graduating from the Institute of Applied Ecology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jia chose to build his career in Jilin, far from his hometown in North China's Shanxi province.

"The mysterious and vibrant Changbai Mountain, with its expansive and untouched forests, has always fascinated me," Jia explained.

For eight years, Jia and his colleagues have dedicated themselves to monitoring plant resources and protecting and propagating rare and endangered species. "Mosquito bites have become routine, and we've learned to handle encounters with black bears and wild boars calmly," he said.

Jia has seen significant advancements in their tools over the years. They are now equipped with calipers that measure growth rings to the millimeter and environmental sensors that provide real-time updates on temperature, humidity and light intensity every 30 minutes.

"Changbai Mountain is like a living laboratory," he said. "Every day, it reveals something new about the delicate balance of nature."

Zhao Lufu, Jia's partner on the field survey, was formerly a logger. When the province banned commercial logging in its major forests in 2015, Zhao transitioned to his new role as a field researcher.

"It was a turning point," Zhao recalled. The mountain, once a source of timber, has since become a beacon of sustainable forestry and ecological conservation. According to a 2017 baseline survey by the research institute, forest coverage in the reserve had exceeded 95 percent.

With the implementation of protection measures by the local government, seven hectares of Thuja koraiensis -- a species listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, have been successfully restored on the mountain. "We once scoured the entire mountain in search of this plant and found only 6,600 individuals. Now, there are more than 10,000," Jia said.

In June this year, the Changbai Mountain Global Geopark was officially unveiled, drawing international attention to both the natural wonders and dedicated conservation efforts led by Jia's team.

The protection work still faces ongoing challenges due to climate change and human activity, but Jia remains hopeful, believing that continued research and committed conservation efforts will better preserve the mountain's unique ecosystem for future generations. "We're fighting for the future," he concluded.