The Background Resource Survey in Shennongjia

Since March, the Administration of Shennongjia National Park has been frequented by survey teams led by experts and scholars and consisted of skilled members. The location of the Administration looked as if a transit station of a large battle, seeing off the plant survey team and welcoming the insect survey team; even before the insect survey team finished their tasks, the spider survey team and amphibians and reptiles survey team went into the forests. The staff of the Administration and the Scientific Research Institute of Shennongjia National Park has been busy receiving these teams and supporting them with the logistics in an organized manner.

With the guidance and assistance of experts from the Scientific Research Institute, the teams embarked on their investigation in Shennongjia National Park, taking into account the climate and environmental factors as well as the laws of biological reproduction within the park. They meticulously surveyed each designated area and documented their findings. They faced numerous challenges, including the bad weather, but they persevered through the hardships, say, if they are hungry on the way, they would eat some field rations, and if they encountered roadblocks such as landslides, they would clear the path themselves.

According to leading officials of the Scientific Research Institute, this comprehensive and systematic survey is the largest ever conducted in the history of Shennongjia National Park, surpassing the previous field surveys conducted between 2011 and 2015, when this area was still called Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, in terms of scope and content. The survey encompassed 15 specific areas, including vegetation and plants, vascular plants, birds, fungi and lichens, mosses, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, water resources and aquatic organisms, insects, soil types and soil organisms, geology and landforms, wetland resources, ecosystems, and socio-economics. Over 20 teams participated in the survey, representing prestigious research institutions and universities across China, including Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Forestry, China University of Geosciences, Northwest A&F University, and Wuhan University.

Members of the survey teams scattered in the wetlands and forests, approaching their work with rigor and dedication to science. Employing their respective expertise, they adopted various methods, whether it was lying in wait, setting up nets, or standing by the riverside, collecting a wide range of samples. Whether at dawn, dusk, or throughout the night, they searched caves by the river and used lamps to attract and capture specimens, hoping for new discoveries. Team members could be seen throughout Shennongjia National Park, including areas such as Muyu, Shennongding, Dajiuhu, Qianjiaping, Jinhouling, Guanmenshan, Laojunshan, Honghuaping and Sanduihe. They also visited counties and nature reserves within the Alliance of Adjacent Nature Reserves in Western Hubei and Eastern Chongqing, such as Xingshan, Duheyuan, Zhushan, Zhuxi, and Badong.

In less than six months, the survey teams diligently executed their plans. Despite the hardships they faced, their efforts were not in vain. In the weekly summary reports of each team, it was evident that they all had fruitful results and made new species discoveries and records. The excitement is palpable. We believe that three years from now, the complete survey in Shennongjia National Park will yield a surprising and remarkable outcome.(By Du Hua, He Sai and Bai Ning)