Tough science

It was supposed to be a simple research trip to explore the rich biodiversity of Yunnan province, but the wild weather and unpredictable landslides made the journey more challenging than the participants could ever have imagined. Chen Liang reports.

It was Day 2 of a trip through the Dulong River valleys in the northwestern corner of Yunnan province, when the 13 members of the expedition realized that their plan to explore the area's rich biodiversity had hit a snag.

On May 8, the expedition, co - organized by the forestry bureau of Nujiang prefecture and a Beijing-based biodiversity survey institute, was driving from Dulongjiang township in Gongshan county to the hamlet of Qinlangdang in three four-wheel drives. About 15 minutes after passing a particular section of the road, a large tree and several boulders fell from a nearby slope and blocked the way - they were trapped.