The future is here: Where city and nature coexist in China's smallest reserve

Nestled amid the hustle and bustle of Shenzhen, a metropolis in south China's Guangdong Province, the Futian Mangrove Nature Reserve is China's only national nature reserve located in the heart of a city — also the smallest — and serves as a vital stopover along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway.

Spanning 367 hectares, the mangrove wetland is home to 273 bird species, including 60 under national protection. In 2026, 341 black-faced spoonbills — out of a global population of just 7,746 — were recorded here, accounting for 4.4% of the world’s total.

To protect this precious habitat amid urban development, the reserve employs digital technologies such as AI-powered bird recognition, drone patrols, and intelligent sluice gate control, demonstrating how urban life and nature can coexist and thrive in harmony.

(Intern Liu Yinian also contributed to the story)