Among the many conservation efforts undertaken by southwest China's Yunnan Province, its bank of wild species germplasms stands out for enriching the region's biodiversity and delivering tangible benefits to local people.
Known for its rich biodiversity, southwest China's Yunnan Province has many nicknames -- animal kingdom, kingdom of plants, and the world’s garden.
In its efforts to preserve its wondrously diverse wildlife, one of the province's proudest achievements is the world's second-largest bank of wild species, established in the provincial capital Kunming 17 years ago.
As of this year, the bank has collected and preserved over 20,000 types of wild germplasm -- the genetic material found in the reproductive cells or tissues of plants.
"The bank is composed of five major sections including seeds, vitro materials of plants, plant DNA, microbial germplasm resources, and animal germplasm resources," said Yi Tingshuang, director of the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species in Southwest China.
The discovery, research, and protection of germplasm resources are considered extremely important to the conservation of biodiversity.
Studies on some of the germplasms have even shown potential therapeutic effects in cancer treatment.
"We've preserved so many germplasm resources, the next step is to focus on how to effectively use them to meet the country's critical needs and benefit humanity. This area should be strengthened and needs further development," said Yi.
For years, China has been pioneering initiatives to encourage the public to participate in the conservation of wild species. Guiding residents to harness the economic potential of conservation efforts is an important aspect.
"For example, we can provide our seeds to local people, telling them that the seeds we cultivated have a higher medicinal value. By encouraging them to cultivate these seeds instead of harvesting wild ones, this approach could offer a more effective conservation solution," said Shen Jianyong, deputy director of the Center of Gardening and Horticulture at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden.
Preserving wild species is a shared responsibility of all humanity. At the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, a cross-border scientific research project has been established. Experts also aspire to deepen cooperation with international institutes and researchers, contributing to the global biodiversity movement.
Genetic bank for wild species promotes biodiversity with economic benefits in southwest China
