Biodiversity surveys help Jeling draw nature lovers

Another significant aspect of their work involves offering guidance to the villagers who are striving to establish sustainable ecotourism practices. This includes offering advice on the design and development of tourist routes.

"We are assisting them in upgrading two natural and cultural experience routes, while also enhancing the skills of local guides to effectively showcase the beauty of nature to visiting tourists," she said.

One is a hiking route into a forest of Bhutan pine trees, where a 76.8-meter Bhutan pine was once designated the mainland's tallest tree, near the village. Thanks to the discovery of the "tree king" in April 2022, the surrounding forest has become the most popular tourist site in Jeling.

The other route leads to a platform overlooking the village's tea garden. On a clear day, visitors can see majestic Mount Namjagbarwa looming behind the slopes.

With deeper insight into the area's fauna and flora, Wei and her colleagues can help the village post signs providing information about the area's rich biodiversity for tourists. The signs can, for example, introduce a variety of wild orchids distributed in the area to visitors as they stroll through the forest of the "tree king".

To raise the villagers' environmental awareness, Shan Shui began collaborating with the local government in an effort to reintroduce orchids to the wild in April 2022. Wei said the residents of Jeling used to have a penchant for collecting wild orchids found in the forest and planting them in their courtyards.

As part of the reintroduction project, each of the village's 28 families is encouraged to donate three to five pots of orchids from their courtyards, which are then replanted in their natural habitat. The villagers are urged to participate in the replanting events, which are held three times a year. "It's like a group outing," Wei said. "We collect the orchids in the early morning and then head to the forest and replant them together with their donators."

chenliang@chinadaily.com.cn