National park innovations see humans, nature flourish together

At dawn, Liu Hai'an puts on his work uniform, packs an electronic tablet, climbing ropes and food, and then heads off with his colleague to patrol Wuyishan National Park in Fujian province.

Their route covers the park's core protection zone, with elevations ranging from 400 to 2,160 meters. Liu and his partner have to scale cliffs, cross streams and pass through untouched forests, observing and recording vegetation, trees and all creatures.

"We patrol for more than 15 days each month, with each patrol lasting over three hours. When we have to go to remote areas for long patrols, it often takes six to eight hours," said the 31-year-old, who has been working at the park for seven years.

As full-time rangers, their daily duties include preventing the illegal expansion of tea plantations, controlling the spread of pine wilt disease, and stopping forest fires, illegal logging and poaching. If they discover any illegal activities, they have to report them and take immediate enforcement measures.

Liu recalled one risky moment when they came across a tea garden located beneath a cliff. "There was no clear path down the mountain except for a narrow staircase. It was raining and the path was slippery. We had to tie the climbing rope to a tree and slowly go down step by step," he said.

Despite their trepidation, Liu said if they hadn't overcome their fear, the rangers would have had to come back later. "We had to finish the job while we were there," he said.

Liu is one of 168 forest rangers working in Wuyishan National Park. In 2023, they conducted over 16,000 patrols, covering a distance of 40,700 kilometers, statistics showed.