During October 19-22, 2020, Feng Jie, Huang Jian, and Li Yanzhi from Shan Shui Conservation Center participated in the Giant Panda National Park’s joint patrol. Huang Jian and Li Yanzhi joined the patrol from Xinyi to Tangjiahe and Feng Jie hosted the summarization meeting.

During the joint patrol (photos by Li Yanzhi)

This is the third joint patrol in the Giant Panda National Park’s northern Min Mountain area. 23 work units and 43 people from the national park participated in the field patrol. They came from Pingwu Guanba, Xinyi, Baishuijiang Duishugou, Liziba, Qingchuan, and Ping Village Ore Field, all gathering at Tangjiahe within the national park’s Guangyuan branch. This fire-prevention and anti-poaching event crossed the borders of provinces and counties. The participants were divided into five groups, taking up five patrol routes over four days (including two days and one night in the field). They went across the Giant Panda National Park’s Min Mountain area and Baishuijiang area, including Jiuzhaigou, Pingwu, and Qingchuan counties in Sichuan, and Wen county in Gansu, reaching a total distance of 76.2km. During the joint patrol, there was no hunting traps, fire hazards or other traces of human activities found. The group recorded 17 traces of giant pandas, two golden snub-nosed monkeys, 30 traces of takins, nine traces of wild boars, 22 pheasants, three Reeves’s muntjacs and one goral.

Patrol route map (produced by Huang Jian)

In order to actively respond to President Xi Jinping’s calls of “Clear waters and green mountains are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver” and “Protect the ecological environment like we protect our own eyes, and treat the ecological environment like we treat our own lives”; to promote the establishment of the Giant Panda National Park; to protect the completeness and nativeness of giant pandas and cohabiting animals, Shan Shui Conservation Center and the Giant Panda National Park’s Gansu Provincial Administration Baishuijin branch, Tangjiahe Reserve, Pingwu County Forestry and Grassland Administration, Pingwu County Forestry Public Security Bureau, and the Paradise International Foundation launched the first joint anti-poaching patrol program in the Giant Panda National Park in October 2019, with the support from Giant Panda National Park Administration. Over 30 participants from 10 work units took part in this first event. The joint patrol has so far taken place three times including in May and October 2020. More than 200 people from 23 work units have been involved. Signing the “Giant Panda National Park Min Mountain Area Joint Protection Agreement” has led to strengthened communication and collaboration in anti-poaching, fire prevention, epidemic disease monitoring, pest control and joint law enforcements. Through active communication, collaboration and experimentation, a long-term working mechanism has been established for the cross-region joint protection in the Giant Panda National Park, which enabled the systematic administration and protection in the Giant Panda National Park’s northern Min Mountain to Baishuijiang regions.

First cross-region joint patrol in October 2019 (photo by Huang Jian)

Second cross-region joint patrol in May 2020 (photo by Huang Jian)

Third cross-region joint patrol in October 2020 (photo provided by Tangjiahe)

On 22 October, the Giant Panda National Park Two-province Four-county Fire Prevention and Anti-poaching Joint Action Summarization meeting was held at Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve in Sichuan. The meeting was hosted by Feng Jie from Shan Shui. Tao Jian, the deputy director of Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve Administration gave the welcome speech. Chen Xianghui from Pingwu Laohegou Conservation Center reviewed the joint protection action. Chen Limin, director of Tangjiahe Reserve Administration presented on management experiences from five different aspects, namely natural resource protection, scientific research and monitoring, community management, environmental education, and digitalization in Tangjiahe. Li Xueyi, the deputy director of Mianyang branch of the Giant Panda National Park, expressed that we shall actively implement the “Two Mountain Theory”; advance on environmental protection and social development; conserve core national resources; establish a conservation mechanism which incorporates governmental leadership and community engagement, in which every individual acts as an active participant; explore a mechanism of shared benefits from conservation progresses; achieve mutual development of both nature conservation and social and economic growth; and ultimately to maximize the effects of ecological conservation.

Giant Panda National Park Baishuijiang branch, Gansu Wen County Liziba Village, Pingwu Fushuiyuan State-owned Forestry, Guanba Conservation Center, and Xinyi village representatives all shared conservation achievements in their respective regions during the meeting.

During the reflection and suggestion session, Huang Chengxiang, the party committee secretary of the Baishuijiang branch of the national park advised the park to establish a short-term cross-employment mechanism, which can reinforce the communication between different protection areas.

Ren Shouming, the deputy director of the Guangyuan branch administration of the national park, gave an introduction on their branch. He believed this joint patrol event has four major features of covering a wide geographical range, crossing multiple professional fields, being multi-layered, and focusing on the ground level. He hoped for the joint protection areas to increase in size, influence and effects. Less competition and more partnership will help us advance on the fire prevention and anti-poaching in the Giant Panda National Park.

Left: Li Xueyi; middle: Hu Daming; right: Ren Shouming

翻译/陈一语，校对/Emma

Translated by Chen Yiyu, edited by Emma Chen