Bird photographer helps raise public awareness in eco-conservation
Though one year has passed, what happened in last March still remains fresh in Mr. Yang Bangqing’s memory. As a photographer from Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in west Yunnan, Yang captured the images of Lady Amherst's pheasants, a bird species under Level 2 national protection, at a bird watching point in Mangshi, capital of Dehong Prefecture on March 8, 2019.
"So March bears a special significance for me," said Yang. Since falling in love with bird photography years ago, he has got an expectation that his photos could help raise public awareness in eco-conservation.
Like Yang, many local shutterbugs enjoy bird photography in Dehong. It’s a great pleasure for them to trek through woods or rivers to take pictures of the birds, which they call “nature's elves”.
Since the Lady Amherst's pheasant was seen last year in Mangshi, local villagers have moved away a sheep pen nearby the bird-watching point. "Sheep-raising may damage the surrounding vegetation for birds, and we’re happy to see locals also care about the wild species," Yang said.
In Dehong, other digital technologies have been applied to bird protection, like the smart monitoring system.
In mid-February, the Dehong rare wild animal online monitoring system recorded daily activities of hornbills by their nests in Tongbiguan Nature Reserve, the largest hornbill habitat in China. "As the mating season comes again, hornbills begin their breeding rituals,” Pai Jincheng, a ranger at the reserve, said with bliss.
"Amid the Covid-19 epidemic, more people began to see wildlife as a grace from the nature, in which the sustained development of mankind is rooted,” said Yang, who has set about planning his bird-watching trip soon after the epidemic.
Further reading: Southwest China’s Yunnan Province is rich in biodiversity.
Dubbed “Kingdom of Animals” and “Kingdom of Plants”, the province is one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots with the richest species diversity. Its unique geological environment and rich germplasm resource provides wild animals with broad and diverse living conditions. History has also witnessed a harmonious co-existence between its 26 ethnic groups and wild animals, laying a solid foundation for the green development on this land. In recent years, Yunnan has made consistent efforts in protecting wild animals and their living environment. It has greatly improved the nature reserve system. And the idea of green development has deeply rooted in the heart of the people living in the province.
Reporting by Wang Huan; video and pictures by Yang Bangqing; trans-editing by Wang Shixue