Volunteers transplant over 3,000 rare plants in Hubei and Sichuan

The Three Gorges Group conducted a voluntary service activity for the wild return of rare and endangered plants on March 12, Arbor Day in China, transplanting over 3,000 rare plants into the wild fields in the provinces of Hubei and Sichuan.

On an island in the Tongzhuang River in Zigui county, Hubei province, volunteers worked together under the guidance of researchers to dig holes, plant seedlings and cultivate soil. The plants included rarities, such as the Plantago fengdouensis and Myricaria laxiflora, which were successfully bred at the Yangtze River Biodiversity Research Center.

Some Plantago fengdouensis seeds traveled on the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft for 183 days.

In the Anbian township of Yibin city, Sichuan province, volunteers plated 150 specimens of 10 rare resource plants unique to the Yangtze River in the wild.

"The return of rare plants to nature is a systematic project, including conducting research on wild domestication and exploring the flowering and fruiting of the plants while also conducting research on the native habitat and diversity, protecting the integrity of the ecosystem, and ensuring that the plants can naturally reproduce and thrive," said Huang Guiyun, the person in charge of the Yangtze River rare plant breeding base. "In short, the whole process is not only about returning to planting but also about adapting to the environment and thriving."