China's Tianmu Mountain Reserve Integrates Tradition with Modern Conservation
China's Tianmu Mountain Reserve, historically guided by Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian traditions, has undergone significant expansion under formal state regulations. This development integrates the Zhejiang Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve, creating the Tianmushan–Qingliangfeng UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
For over a millennium, local temples enforced conservation rules, using fines and monastic expulsion to prevent forest destruction. The belief that natural elements carried spirits fostered ecological respect among monks and villagers.
Established in 1986, the reserve's recent expansion in 2024 increased its area twelvefold to approximately 54,700 hectares, marking China's first biosphere reserve expansion. The reserve now features a zoned system with strict core areas, buffer zones for ecotourism, and a transition zone encompassing 41 villages.
The expanded reserve is home to diverse ecosystems, including ancient trees and rare wildlife such as the tallest golden larch, wild sika deer, and the Anji salamander. It boasts about 2,461 higher plant species and 374 vertebrate species.
Modern governance involves a collaborative management plan with local communities, maintaining religious traditions that influence conservation attitudes. Monks continue to patrol forests, supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Government's regulations effective since October 2024.