The first survey of large mammal systems in urban green spaces in Nanning was carried out in Qingxiu Mountain

Tech 2023-10-09 22:00:17 Source: Network

12 "Eyes of the Trees" to Explore the Urban Ecological "Family Foundation"With the continuous improvement of the ecological environment in Nanning, more and more small animals are coming to settle down. What are these small animals? How are they living on the 'Green Island' in the city? Recently, a "Nanning Wilderness Hunting" activity was launched at Nanning Botanical Garden (Qingxiu Mountain), with the first batch of 12 "Eye of the Forest" infrared cameras starting to monitor and record the lives of small animals in the forest

12 "Eyes of the Trees" to Explore the Urban Ecological "Family Foundation"

With the continuous improvement of the ecological environment in Nanning, more and more small animals are coming to settle down. What are these small animals? How are they living on the 'Green Island' in the city? Recently, a "Nanning Wilderness Hunting" activity was launched at Nanning Botanical Garden (Qingxiu Mountain), with the first batch of 12 "Eye of the Forest" infrared cameras starting to monitor and record the lives of small animals in the forest. It is reported that this is the first time Nanning city has conducted a large-scale mammal system survey on urban green spaces, which is of great significance for in-depth understanding of the wildlife situation in Nanning urban area.

Install infrared cameras on Qingxiu Mountain. Photographed by journalist Ling Jianyi

12 infrared cameras set up in the dense forest, opening the "blind box" of the ecological treasure trove

The "Nanning Wilderness Hunting" activity was guided by Professor Jiang Aiwu from the Forestry College of Guangxi University and renowned Chinese ecological photographer Xu Jian, and was specifically implemented by undergraduate students majoring in ecology from the Forestry College of Guangxi University.

Recently, the reporter followed the "Nanning Wilderness Hunting" team to the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest in Qingxiu Mountain Scenic Area. Here, the mountains are high and the forests are dense, and a stone road covered with moss meanders forward. Walking to a Masson pine forest, the "Nanning Wilderness Hunting" team stopped moving and then climbed to the steep cliff edge.

Whether the installed infrared camera can capture animals for us depends not only on luck, but also on the location of the installation. Xu Jian introduced that the first step is to understand the habits and preferences of the target animals. For example, wild animals such as leopard cats and crab eating mongooses. Crab eating mongooses like to eat small animals such as snails, lizards, and crabs. They like to live in tropical mountains and forests below 1000 meters above sea level in the south, dig holes in valleys or near streams to settle in, and also like to be near irrigated mountain forests. These small animals enjoy walking along the cliffs in their daily activities, so the probability of setting up infrared cameras here to capture them is higher.

These "eyes of the forest" are fixed on tree trunks, square, camouflaged, and forty to fifty centimeters above the ground. Although these devices may not look amazing, their functions cannot be underestimated, "Xu Jian said. These infrared cameras are equipped with SD cards and a No. 5 battery, which can be used for 3-5 months. Whenever an animal approaches, the infrared camera will take photos, which are colored. The monitoring personnel will retrieve them after 2-3 months.

Infrared cameras shooting wild animals in the wilderness of Nanning are like opening 'blind boxes'. We never know what will be captured, and it is unpredictable. Of course, we are particularly looking forward to new discoveries here. "Jiang Aiwu said that Qingxiu Mountain is a relatively well preserved area with a large area in Nanning, and many areas have not yet undergone detailed scientific investigation, It can be said that Qingxiu Mountain is a treasure trove of biodiversity in Nanning City. The purpose of installing infrared cameras on Qingxiu Mountain is to search for well preserved ecosystems in the city of Nanning, and to use infrared cameras to search for potential top predators such as leopard cats and fruit civets, explore their survival status, understand their unknown secrets, and conduct tracking research on them. This is an important feature of Nanning's ecological progress.

It is reported that infrared cameras are important technical equipment for obtaining information on wildlife species, distribution, habitats, and other related information, playing an important role in biodiversity monitoring and protecting wildlife. Infrared cameras are also a window for observing ecological construction, which can better understand the "family background" of wild animals in the area and provide data basis for in-depth scientific research work.

On the same day, the "Nanning Wilderness Hunting" team deployed a total of 12 infrared cameras in the forests of Qingxiu Mountain, which have less human activities, the richest biodiversity, and a distribution of water sources.

Creating Nanning National Botanical Garden by Touching the "Family Foundation" of Wild Animals

Meng Yiyi, Deputy Manager of the Guangxi Subtropical Garden Plant Research Center, introduced that the forest land where infrared cameras were installed was originally an artificial forest of Pinus massoniana and Quercus grandiflora preserved by the district government forest farm, with a history of 40-50 years to date. Due to minimal human interference throughout the year, the forest ecosystem remains relatively complete. Some staff members of the Qingxiu Mountain Scenic Area have encountered monkeys in a distance in the park, but due to the distance, they were unable to distinguish the specific species. In order to explore which "cute little ones" have settled in this green island, they have also set up infrared cameras during the flowering season of the oil hemp vine, and have taken photos of wild animals such as the masked beaver and red bellied squirrel, as well as observed many wild birds. According to incomplete statistics, there are currently 100-200 species of wild birds commonly found in Qingxiu Mountain.

The Qingxiu Mountain Scenic Area has thousands of acres of water and forests, making it an important window for Nanning, the "Green City of China". It is an ecological card to enhance the overall image of the capital city, and has become an important green space for Nanning's citizens to sightseeing, leisure and fitness, as well as a scenic tourist destination. For a long time, Qingxiu Mountain has attached great importance to the ex situ protection and development of plants, committed to the restoration of plant ecology and the restoration of rare and endangered plant populations, and actively responded to the spirit of the Autonomous Region Forestry Bureau. Nanning Botanical Garden (Qingxiu Mountain) has also actively prepared for the creation of Nanning National Botanical Garden.

Qingxiu Mountain is a treasure trove of biodiversity in Nanning City. Photographed by reporter Huang Weiye

As one of the participating units in the creation of the National Botanical Garden, our previous understanding of the wildlife resources in Qingxiu Mountain was unclear, and we were not sure about the 'family background' of the wildlife in Qingxiu Mountain. This survey is a very good foundation for our construction of the Nanning National Botanical Garden, "said Meng Yiyi.

(Nanning Yun - Nanning Evening News reporter Ling Jianyi)

Editor: Wei Wei

On duty editor and reviewer: Tang Jiekui

(Author: Ling Jianyi)

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