Wilderness Explorations, Ep.1: Mountains

In Yichang, enchanting landscapes meet vibrant urban life. Rivers and mountains intertwine, breathing life into a city with a long history. People have lived here for generations, nurturing the ecological wonder.

In recent decades, Yichang launched integrated protection and restoration initiatives across mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes and grasslands. Notable projects include the construction of ecological corridors along the Yangtze River, and the establishment of urban wetland parks and national nature reserves. These efforts have increased local biodiversity and Yichang now boasts a forest area of 1.4 million hectares and forest coverage rate of 60 percent. The region is home to 601 species of terrestrial wildlife and 5,582 species of seed plants.

The video series "Wilderness Exploration” offers a glimpse into how this city fosters a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Episode 1 took a deep dive into Wufeng Houhe National Nature Reserve and explored its ancient Houhe primitive forest.

The forest dates back 130 million years and stretches from the Baixi River Valley at an altitude of 398.5 meters to Duling Mountain at 2,252.2 meters. The diverse ecosystem here is home to 3,302 vascular plant species, including 76 that are under national protection.

Thanks to collective efforts of nature protectors in Houhe, many rare species continue to thrive here, such as the critically small population of Sinojackia dolichocarpa.