Sci-tech aids in safeguarding biological treasure trove in southern China
In the early 1880s, a beautiful and mysterious flower was discovered on a cliff in Guangdong Province, south China. However, no one saw this flower again for over a century after its discovery. The plant, named Primulina tabacum, was once thought...
TroibNews 
In the early 1880s, a beautiful and mysterious flower was discovered on a cliff in Guangdong Province, south China. However, no one saw this flower again for over a century after its discovery. The plant, named Primulina tabacum, was once thought to be extinct.
It wasn't until the 1990s that Primulina tabacum was rediscovered in Guangdong, with only three surviving plants documented at the time. This finding led to its classification as critically endangered. The species typically thrives in specific microhabitats found within karst caves, where it faces significant survival threats.
In 2002, researchers from the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences initiated an ex-situ conservation program for Primulina tabacum. Remarkably, scientists have successfully utilized cloning technology to cultivate this plant, mastering rapid propagation techniques that allowed for the reintroduction of approximately 3,000 individuals back into their natural habitat.
At present, the South China Botanical Garden has conserved 1,050 rare and endangered plant species, including 558 state-protected wild plants. Its dedicated breeding center, which spans 20 hectares, houses over 230 such species, making it one of the largest germplasm banks in China for rare flora. The botanical garden's goal is to ensure the effective protection of 95 percent of south China's rare and endangered plants, aiming to reintroduce 20 species into their natural environments.
Historically, the task of documenting and studying biodiversity fell to experts. Today, however, advancements in big data and artificial intelligence technologies are transforming public involvement in biodiversity efforts, providing new methods to record, understand, and protect biodiversity.
Through an independently developed intelligent specimen management system called Cathaya, the herbarium completed the reception of over 50,000 plant specimens in 2024. It uploaded 300,000 pieces of spatiotemporal distribution information related to the collected specimens, and shared more than 250,000 pieces of specimen data via the same system. This innovation allows for the efficient management of the entire process, from field investigation to the digital sharing of specimens, establishing a new standard for biodiversity research and intelligent management.
Additionally, the herbarium has developed the "BioGrid" app, a tool that utilizes large-scale scientific data and AI for biodiversity observation and identification. This app addresses challenges related to precise plant localization and species identification, enhancing data collection and species recognition capabilities for both professionals and the public. It provides services for data collection, project organization, data perception, and visualization for professionals, while enabling convenient participation from the public in biodiversity science projects.
As an active contributor to global ecological conservation, China is continually exploring innovative strategies for biodiversity protection and ecosystem management. Dinghushan National Nature Reserve, regarded as a model of ecological conservation in China, stands as the country's first nature reserve and an integral part of UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Its successful practices offer valuable insights for global ecological conservation.
Located in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong, the 1,133-hectare reserve was established in 1956 and is managed by the South China Botanical Garden. Due to its exceptional ecological value and the stark contrast it presents to the typically arid regions along the Tropic of Cancer, it is often referred to as the "Green Pearl on the Tropic of Cancer Desert Belt." In 1979, it became one of the first three biosphere reserves in China recognized under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere program.
The reserve's primary objective is to protect South Asian subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests and their associated wildlife. Its forest coverage has consistently remained around 98 percent, housing 68 state-protected plant species and 73 protected animal species. Populations of key protected species have either stabilized or shown significant growth, while the area of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests has increased by over 70 percent since the reserve's establishment.
Research conducted over nearly two decades indicates that previous estimates of China's terrestrial carbon sequestration capacity—primarily based on forest above-ground biomass and surface water in carbonate rock regions—were significantly underestimated, with inaccuracies potentially reaching 50 percent. The study further reveals that terrestrial carbon sinks in China are highly sensitive to regional environmental variability.
Scientists have also evaluated the current state and temporal dynamics of carbon sequestration within China's forest ecosystems, providing estimates of forest carbon stocks and uncovering considerable remaining sequestration potential. Their investigation into ecosystem responses to global change has identified the mechanistic pathways whereby nitrogen deposition affects soil carbon emissions in tropical forests, and has clarified the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus under climate warming.
The Dinghushan research station collaborates with over 20 research institutions worldwide, including those in the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, and Kenya, thereby advancing multiple ecological studies.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
It wasn't until the 1990s that Primulina tabacum was rediscovered in Guangdong, with only three surviving plants documented at the time. This finding led to its classification as critically endangered. The species typically thrives in specific microhabitats found within karst caves, where it faces significant survival threats.
In 2002, researchers from the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences initiated an ex-situ conservation program for Primulina tabacum. Remarkably, scientists have successfully utilized cloning technology to cultivate this plant, mastering rapid propagation techniques that allowed for the reintroduction of approximately 3,000 individuals back into their natural habitat.
At present, the South China Botanical Garden has conserved 1,050 rare and endangered plant species, including 558 state-protected wild plants. Its dedicated breeding center, which spans 20 hectares, houses over 230 such species, making it one of the largest germplasm banks in China for rare flora. The botanical garden's goal is to ensure the effective protection of 95 percent of south China's rare and endangered plants, aiming to reintroduce 20 species into their natural environments.
Historically, the task of documenting and studying biodiversity fell to experts. Today, however, advancements in big data and artificial intelligence technologies are transforming public involvement in biodiversity efforts, providing new methods to record, understand, and protect biodiversity.
Through an independently developed intelligent specimen management system called Cathaya, the herbarium completed the reception of over 50,000 plant specimens in 2024. It uploaded 300,000 pieces of spatiotemporal distribution information related to the collected specimens, and shared more than 250,000 pieces of specimen data via the same system. This innovation allows for the efficient management of the entire process, from field investigation to the digital sharing of specimens, establishing a new standard for biodiversity research and intelligent management.
Additionally, the herbarium has developed the "BioGrid" app, a tool that utilizes large-scale scientific data and AI for biodiversity observation and identification. This app addresses challenges related to precise plant localization and species identification, enhancing data collection and species recognition capabilities for both professionals and the public. It provides services for data collection, project organization, data perception, and visualization for professionals, while enabling convenient participation from the public in biodiversity science projects.
As an active contributor to global ecological conservation, China is continually exploring innovative strategies for biodiversity protection and ecosystem management. Dinghushan National Nature Reserve, regarded as a model of ecological conservation in China, stands as the country's first nature reserve and an integral part of UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Its successful practices offer valuable insights for global ecological conservation.
Located in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong, the 1,133-hectare reserve was established in 1956 and is managed by the South China Botanical Garden. Due to its exceptional ecological value and the stark contrast it presents to the typically arid regions along the Tropic of Cancer, it is often referred to as the "Green Pearl on the Tropic of Cancer Desert Belt." In 1979, it became one of the first three biosphere reserves in China recognized under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere program.
The reserve's primary objective is to protect South Asian subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests and their associated wildlife. Its forest coverage has consistently remained around 98 percent, housing 68 state-protected plant species and 73 protected animal species. Populations of key protected species have either stabilized or shown significant growth, while the area of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests has increased by over 70 percent since the reserve's establishment.
Research conducted over nearly two decades indicates that previous estimates of China's terrestrial carbon sequestration capacity—primarily based on forest above-ground biomass and surface water in carbonate rock regions—were significantly underestimated, with inaccuracies potentially reaching 50 percent. The study further reveals that terrestrial carbon sinks in China are highly sensitive to regional environmental variability.
Scientists have also evaluated the current state and temporal dynamics of carbon sequestration within China's forest ecosystems, providing estimates of forest carbon stocks and uncovering considerable remaining sequestration potential. Their investigation into ecosystem responses to global change has identified the mechanistic pathways whereby nitrogen deposition affects soil carbon emissions in tropical forests, and has clarified the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus under climate warming.
The Dinghushan research station collaborates with over 20 research institutions worldwide, including those in the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, and Kenya, thereby advancing multiple ecological studies.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
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