Conservation takes root among students

Avian race

After the Beihu tour, Zhong, the four volunteers and 27 other birding enthusiasts from 19 provincial-level regions, started the bird-watching race, also a synchronous bird survey, from Kashgar city to Tashikurgan.

It was not only the first bird-watching competition held in Xinjiang, but also the longest, farthest, and highest-altitude birdwatching event with the greatest elevation difference among simultaneous bird races in the country.

Having kicked off on Sept 25 at 8:30 am and concluded on Sept 29 at 8:30 pm, the race spanned 108 hours over five calendar days.

Each four-member team was expected to travel over 1,200 kilometers, with the highest point of the competition reaching over 4,700 meters above sea level.

The competition area included Kashgar city and its surroundings, stretching southward to Tashikurgan.

Participants in eight teams had four recommended routes and 20 classic birdwatching spots to explore, each offering different altitudes and habitats.

The successful hosting of the event was built on years of ecological afforestation and wetland restoration efforts in Kashgar. In 2018, with financial support from Shenzhen and other regions, Kashgar began constructing an ecological afforestation base utilizing reclaimed water.

After years of sustained investment, the once barren land now boasts hundreds of hectares of wetlands and forests and has become an important sanctuary for migratory birds. In early September, during a survey by Xinjiang bird enthusiasts including Gou, a record was set with the sighting of two flocks totaling 511 black storks, the highest number ever recorded in a single location in China.

"In the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, and in line with the overall requirements for aiding Xinjiang in the new era, hosting this bird-watching race aims to gain a deeper understanding of the avian resources in Kashgar," said the official with the Shenzhen Aid-Xinjiang Forward Command Post. "It also serves as a concrete practice of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. In the future, we will continue to explore integrating the birdwatching economy with agriculture, culture, and tourism to promote the coordinated development of ecological tourism and new urbanization."

chenliang@chinadaily.com.cn