Rare plants returned to their native habitat

By Yan Wanqin, Yichang International Communication Studio

On March 10, 120 rare plants from the Three Gorges Reservoir area were returned to their native habitat - the Hubei Dalaoling National Nature Reserve.

This is also the first time artificially cultivated rare plants have been returned to the wild from the laboratory.

A researcher selects rare plants from the nursery and prepares them for replantation. Photo by Guo Xiaoying.

The six rare plant species transplanted at this time were all artificially cultivated, including acer wilsonii, myricaria laxiflora, phoebe hunanensis, phoebe chekiangensis, taxus chinensis and davidia involucrata,. Among them, the seedlings for taxus chinensis and davidia involucrata are more than 10 years old.

Rare plants from the Three Gorges Reservoir area are transplanted to the Hubei Dalaoling National Nature Reserve. Photo by Guo Xiaoying.

Located near the Three Gorges Dam, the Dalaoling National Nature Reserve is the first reserve established in Hubei province to protect the ecological environment of the Three Gorges.

Researchers take soil from the destination site for testing. Photo by Guo Xiaoying.

Hu Meixiang, a senior engineer of the Yangtze River Biodiversity Research Center, said researchers have been studying rare and endangered plants in the Three Gorges Reservoir area since 1992.

They have increased the population of endangered species through artificial cultivation and transplanted them to their native habitat for natural reproduction.

To date, a total of 1,380 rare and endangered plant species have been rescued and more than 230,000 rare seedlings have been cultivated. This year, nearly 5,000 rare seedlings will be transplanted to their native habitats.

"Returning rare and endangered plants to the wild is a systematic project. Next, we will test and improve the soil, monitor and nurture the returned seedlings, so that they can adapt to the environment and thrive," Hu said.