5 years on, preservation efforts bear fruit in tropical rainforest park in south China's Hainan

HAIKOU, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Streams babble through the forest. Birds chirp in clear and crisp notes. Dense vegetation thrives everywhere.

Hainan in south China is typically known for its coconut palms, beaches and sea breezes, but tucked away in the central part of this tropical island province is a different world.

The tropical rainforest in central Hainan is the most concentrated, best-preserved and largest contiguous continental-island-type tropical rainforest in China, and forms an important part of the world's tropical rainforest system.

In 2021, China formally established its first batch of five national parks, including the National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest. With a total area of 4,269 square kilometers, the park spans nine cities and counties and accounts for about one-eighth of Hainan Island's land area. Monday marked the fifth anniversary of its establishment.

Over the past five years, construction of the park has made solid progress. According to the latest figures from the Administration of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, 91 new wildlife and plant species have been discovered, and more than 95 percent of Hainan's primary forest and over 55 percent of its natural forest have been effectively protected.

Data from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration showed the population of Hainan's resident gibbons has increased to 44 in seven groups, making it the only gibbon species in the world with a continuously growing population.

During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, the park's Yinggezui nature experience area opened to the public by reservation for the first time, with visitors from across the country coming in awe of the quietness and grandeur of this hidden rainforest realm. The experience area followed the principle of "ecological protection first, limited and orderly opening," offering free reservations with a daily cap of 800 visitors.

Fu Mingkai, a local staff member, said the area had been fully booked every day from Oct. 1 to 6.

"The area has not undergone excessive commercial transformation," Fu said, adding that visitors can get a close-up view of highly representative original rainforest landscapes, such as buttress roots and cauliflory, by slowly walking along a dedicated ecological route.

"This is a globally important gene pool of germplasm resources, and it is home to many plants and animals unique to Hainan," Fu said. "For example, the Hainan gibbon and the Hainan peacock-pheasant, which have very high requirements for their habitat, have both been found here."

The fact that the species appear here and that their populations have recovered shows the rainforest is healthy and full of vitality, he added.

"Thanks to strict protection in recent years, the vegetation has recovered and wildlife in the rainforest is improving," Fu said.

After the holidays, the Yinggezui experience area will continue to open by reservation on holidays, weekends and other periods to better meet public demand for ecological sightseeing and science education, he said.

Hainan has been sparing no effort in ecological protection.

Fu Cairui, another local staff member, has worked in rainforest protection for more than 20 years.

"More than 20 years ago, the surrounding mountains were full of life, but some local residents practiced slash-and-burn farming, and some primary forests were slowly eroded," he said. "Forests that once extended to low elevations could later only be seen at middle and high elevations."

Species such as the clouded leopard, Hainan peacock-pheasant and pangolin were common in his grandparents' time, but later became critically endangered, he said.

In his view, protecting the tropical rainforest is vitally important.

"Tropical rainforests have extremely high ecological value. They absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen and slow climate change. They conserve water, purify water quality and maintain the regional water cycle. They also contain rich species resources and are a natural gene bank. To protect the tropical rainforest is to protect the habitats of rare plants and animals," he added.

Everyone is responsible for protecting the rainforest, Fu said.

"People can actively take part in environmental public welfare activities," he said. "We also go to schools and villages around communities to give lectures, and we hope the public will pay more attention to and support our work."