A legacy of listening

For all the technological advances, conservation remains fundamentally human. Li Jiahua has spent years training a new generation of rangers and researchers, building expertise in botany, ornithology, and insect ecology. He has become the reserve's unofficial storyteller, giving hundreds of talks to visiting scientists, officials, and local communities.

The outreach matters. Decades ago, hunters regularly entered the mountains with rifles; today, such activity has nearly disappeared. Some former hunters have joined the ranger force, transforming from poachers to protectors.

As dusk settles, Yang Youshan points to a tall tree marked with a white, corner-notched sign — a designated sleeping tree, the 97th cataloged in his area. He knows the elderly couple will likely spend the night in one of these giants within their territory. For him, the thousands of marked trees are not data points; they are landmarks in a shared life.

Contact the writers at lilei@chinadaily.com.cn