Global EditionASIA 中文双语Français
Lifestyle
Home / Lifestyle / People

King of the jungle

By Yang Feiyue | China Daily | Updated: 2022-06-22 06:53
Share
Share - WeChat
A giant tree in Yinggeling rainforest park, Hainan province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Mi Hongxu can navigate the labyrinth of pathways at Yinggeling just as easily as its untamed denizens-a skill he has honed through years of fieldwork in the tropical forest that sits 1,400 meters above sea level, tucked deep in the interior mountains of Hainan, China's second largest island.

Sprawling over more than 500 square kilometers, the rainforest has earned the sobriquet "water tower of Hainan" for being the source of the rivers Nandu and Changhua, which course through the island province.

An abundance of natural beauty and lack of human interference make Yinggeling a paradise for flora and fauna. It is home to more than 2,000 plant and 500 vertebrate species, including more than 20 that have been found in recent years.

Lush foliage, dense undergrowth, lurking creepers and rocky outcrops-sometimes interrupted by gurgling streams-lend Yinggeling an air of romance and mystery. Tall trees, with their outstretched boughs, form dense canopies that split sunlight into myriad beams.

Yinggeling rainforest ranger Mi Hongxu (center) and other rangers study a map of afforested areas of the national park. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Yinggeling rainforest was upgraded to a national nature reserve in 2014 and plays a key role in protecting Hainan's ecology.

"The best 10 years of my life have been spent here," says Mi, who is entrusted with the scientific monitoring of the reserve.

"My primary job is to keep tabs on the rich biodiversity of the area. I also offer technical training to front-line forest staff," he says.

The ranger, in his late 30s, is said to have extraordinary observation skills. He had once spotted rare, transparent ovarian follicles of the Theloderma asperum-also known as the pied warty frog-hanging from a fallen tree trunk.

1 2 3 Next   >>|
Most Popular
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US