Growing afforestation
manned spacecraft, spending 183 days in the space travel. The 500 pots of Plantago fengdouensis planted on the islet are the second-generation bred from the seeds that travelled back from space.
By sending the seeds into space for possible mutations that could be induced by radiation, the institute hoped to increase the genetic diversity of the species so that they can select varieties with stronger adaptability to reintroduce them into the wild. The use of the space-breeding technology represents the agency’s efforts at innovation in plant conservation.
Established in 2007 as an import arm of CTG’s scientific research system for eco-environmental protection, the institute is dedicated to the investigation and breeding of rare plant species of the Yangtze River and reintroducing them to the wild for ecological restoration. Over the years, it has developed a system of technologies for ecological governance in areas of large water conservation and hydropower projects, and formed one of China’s largest bases for protecting plant species in the Yangtze River.
In recent decades, the institute has rescued and protected over 1,300 species of rare plants endemic to the Yangtze River basin, and overcome breeding challenges of nearly 100 rare plants. They have developed approaches to afforest landforms specific to the region, such as steep slopes formed by taking stones for building the Three Gorges Dam.
Afforesting areas with fluctuating water levels is one of the recent achievements of the institute. To tackle the challenge, they have conducted experiments with an array of more than 20 types of flood-tolerant trees, shrubs, and herbs at different elevations. Over the past four years, they have established a 7,000-square-metre experimental and demonstration area, and achieved a survival rate of over 90 percent for perennial herbaceous plants and 75 percent for flood-tolerant shrubs.
The institute also puts heavy emphasis on the involvement of the younger generations in protecting plants. By activities such as inviting middle school students to experience planting rare species and adopting a seedling of their own, encouraging them to keep observing it, the institute hopes to enhance their awareness of ecological preservation and sustainable development.
CTG’s efforts are a reflection of China’s focus on greening its land. The country has been leading the world in terms of growth of forest resources, accounting for a quarter of the global increase in forest resources in the last two decades.
According to a National Greening Commission report released in March, about 3.99 million hectares of forest were planted in the country in 2023, higher than the 3.83 million hectares of afforestation seen in 2022. Besides, 4.38 million hectares of degraded grassland were restored, and some 1.9 million hectares of sandy and stony land were improved.
The Chinese people are offered more convenient ways to participate in tree planting. According to the report, China’s online greening platforms carried out more than 24,000 activities last year, which attracted nearly 440 million visits, and promoted the establishment of over 1,500 tree-planting bases.
Thick forests provided a substantial source of revenue. Last year, the output value of China’s forestry and grassland industry reached 9.28 trillion yuan (about $1.31 trillion), up 2.3 percent year on year, and more than 2.53 billion trips were recorded in ecotourism, according to the report.
Having worked in plant protection for over two decades, Huang has personally witnessed the improvement of afforestation in China. According to her, as protection efforts intensify, species that were suspected to be extinct start to emerge as observed in their field investigations.
As China’s pioneering player in plant conservation, the institute has a much bigger goal than catering to the protection needs of the Yangtze River. “With the succuss in the Yangtze River basin, we aim to contribute to national endeavour of plant conservation,” Huang said.