BEIJING, Aug. 31 -- Immediate actions need to be taken to save the native flora, for it is the foundation of the biodiversity that sustains the entire local ecosystem, urged experts.
Overshadowed by other endangered species like giant pandas or snow leopards, indigenous plants are also facing grave risks, being pushed toward extinction by expanding human activities and consequent climate change, as well as the spread of invasive species arriving alongside magnified global trade.
Greater efforts should be made to study, preserve and protect the aboriginal flora, urged local experts and conservationists. And the Chinese society has begun to take an active role in defending the local biosphere.
LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS
Recent research has pin-pointed Liaoning, in the northeast of China, to be the birthplace of Archaefructus, the first flowering plant that bloomed on Earth -- probably under or near water -- about 130 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. And for as far back as human civilization dates, China has always been a nation of anthophiles and green thumbs.
"Wild plants, oftentimes neglected, little known and seldom appreciated, play a fundamental role in sustaining every ecosystem and are in dire need of protection," said Liu Huajie, professor in bioethics and philosophy with Peking University.
He called for greater efforts in studying and preserving "the bedrock of biodiversity and life on Earth."
"Indigenous wildflowers, as well as indigenous grasses, bushes and trees, constitute the native flora as an organic whole, which is the foundation of every ecosystem," said the scholar and author of a bestselling icones plantarum "Wildflowers of Chongli," who appeared as a guest on Xinhua's live streaming program featuring the flowering mountain meadows in Chongli, about 200 kilometers to the northwest of Beijing.
Insects, birds, mammals, amphibians... Inside the dynamic circle of life, other life-forms' survival depends directly or indirectly on the plants, said Liu. "In other words, protecting the native plants is to protect the local ecosystem," he stressed.
For the past few years, China has been pushing to return farmlands into grasslands, wetlands and forests, in order to let the ecosystem rehabilitate and regain its vigor. "In just a few years, Mother Nature has worked miracles on the over-exploited fields to bring back a flood of new life," exclaimed the expert.
The importance of the wilderness has been accepted and supported by more and more Chinese in recent years, especially among the youth, according to the professor who has been sharing plant-related knowledge on social media and encouraging the public to observe and document native plants.
"It is inspiring to see that a number of concrete projects have been put into practice to defend the native flora and the integrity of the local ecosystem," he said.
GUARDIANS OF THE NATIVE WILDERNESS
In Fangshan, southwest Beijing, the pristine wilderness is patrolled by a team of volunteers who call themselves "the Black Panthers." For years they have been surveying the local biodiversity, fighting poachers and salvaging wildlife.
One of the biggest threats the wild plants are facing is the destructive conduct of theft by those who believe in the supposed magical effects of some already endangered species, said Li Cheng, leader of the Black Panthers.
The advancement of the Internet and e-commerce facilitated the spread of the illegal trade across the country. At the same time, frequent domestic and foreign trade of merchandise has brought along invasive biohazards, which threaten to harm and supplant native species, pushing the latter toward early extinction.
"We hope that China will address this threat by updating the lists of endangered species and intensify law enforcement to crack down on eco-crimes," said Li.
On the other side, to educate the public, raise their awareness and encourage active participation is one of the volunteers' primary missions, he said, adding that to teach people to identify and distinguish native plants and invasive ones, and to inform them of the importance and ecological value of the native flora and fauna is the first step.
In 2016, a smartphone app named "aiPlants" went online. When encountering unknown greenery, users can take a snapshot and the app will search throughout the vast database of China Academy of Sciences' Institute of Botany to identify the family, genus and even species of the photographed plant.
So far, over 4 million users have installed the app, and the database has been growing to include over 10,000 species of indigenous and garden plants in China. According to Wu Andong, CEO of Lulang Softwares Co., Ltd., developer of aiPlants, the app's AI-driven identification has a 90-percent accuracy.
PROSPECTS FOR NATIVE LANDSCAPING?
In comparison with imported lawn pads that rely heavily on irrigation, fertilizing and human care, native flowers and greenery have evolved for millions of years to adapt to the local climate, soil and geological conditions, Li Cheng noted. "For the same reason, the native flora is more resistant to drought and requires minimum maintenance, and it presents a vibrant green that makes it an ideal candidate for urban afforestation that is resource-efficient, and costs less," he added.
Beyond their attractive appearance, these native plants can form "ecological oases" or "eco-islands" in the middle of the city's concrete jungle, while the usually solitary imported garden plants are no more than spots of "green desert," he said.
Beijing is an inland city with scarce water resources, and native plants should be considered a water-saving alternative to the imported lawn and decorative flowering plants, opined Qin Xiaona, environmental activist and founder of the Capital Animal Welfare Association.
She has been advocating for native plants to play a bigger role in the city's greening projects since 2017.
"Not all wild plants can or should be dug up and moved to city lawns or home gardens," Professor Liu stressed, adding research projects and domestication experiments must be conducted with prudence before wild species can be employed in artificial greening. He advised the public not to extract wild plants for their home gardens, neither for their beauty nor for their supposed "medical functions."
According to the naturalist, to visit the remaining wilderness and observe nature in its most original form has become a trendy weekend hobby for Chinese urbanites.
"May we appreciate nature as respectful passers-by, leaving no trace of our presence," pled the professor.