梅花三弄

Chinese conservationist explores community-based wildlife protection in Kenya_我的网站

郑州大学女神教官

一 |

Zhuo Qiang (L) talks with Simon Msago, a Maasai community leader in Ngoswani, in Narok, Kenya, Aug. 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)As dawn breaks over Ol Kinyei Conservancy in Kenya's Maasai Mara ecosystem, rangers are already combing the grasslands for signs of unauthorized entry and poaching while keeping a close watch on wildlife.
Among them is Chinese conservationist Zhuo Qiang, nicknamed "Simba," the Swahili word for lion. For him, this early-morning routine is driven by a broader mission to achieve human-wildlife coexistence.
In 2010, Zhuo left his job in China at the age of 37 and embarked on a less-traveled path: pursuing wildlife conservation in Kenya.
Without professional training in wildlife conservation, he found himself in a territory then dominated by Western organizations and local practitioners.
But Zhuo decided to stay. "I wanted to prove that Chinese people could also do wildlife conservation," he said.
Initially, Zhuo saw conservation largely through the lens of wildlife science: working in the field, studying animals and collecting data.
Living and working with Maasai communities changed that perspective. "The fate of wildlife was closely tied to the people sharing the same land," he said.
In the Maasai Mara ecosystem, livestock grazing is deeply connected to the livelihoods of pastoral communities. "If local people are asked to stop grazing but are given no alternative source of income, conservation cannot be sustainable," Zhuo said.
That principle laid the foundation for his work with the local community in establishing the Ol Kinyei Conservancy.
The area had suffered from prolonged overgrazing, with plants and the land itself deteriorating. Under the conservation model, local grazing land was leased and gradually restored, allowing vegetation to recover and creating a more suitable habitat for wildlife, said Zhuo.
Meanwhile, households participating in the scheme receive land-rental income and have access to jobs such as wildlife rangers and tourism workers. Their average annual income has increased from around 500 U.S. dollars to about 3,700 dollars, according to Zhuo.
Some residents from surrounding communities also learned from the experience and brought the approach back to their own grazing areas.
Nowadays, 26 private conservancies have been established around the Maasai Mara National Reserve, covering about 1,600 square km, according to Zhuo.
He believes the network of community conservancies provides additional safe space for wildlife to move and survive, extending conservation efforts beyond the boundaries of a single national reserve and into surrounding communities.
Simon Msago, a Maasai community leader in Ngoswani, said Zhuo's work encouraged more residents to take an active role in conservation.
In the past, many residents saw few direct benefits from wildlife conservation and had limited awareness of its importance. Today, community members are increasingly willing to work as rangers and protect wildlife, creating an effective layer of protection around the conservancies, Msago said.
"Human-wildlife conflict cannot be solved simply through restrictions and prohibitions. The key is to create alternative sources of income so that residents can gain tangible benefits from conservation," Zhuo said.
"That is what makes community-based conservation sustainable -- allowing local people to become part of wildlife conservation rather than bystanders with no stake in it."
While continuing his work in the Maasai Mara, Zhuo has also sought to strengthen exchanges between China and Africa in wildlife conservation.
In recent years, he has visited more than 30 nature reserves and national parks in China, sharing his experiences of community-based conservation in Africa with Chinese counterparts.
"Conservation practices in China and Africa each have their own characteristics, and there is much that the two sides can learn from each other," he added.
Zhuo Qiang (C) checks the chickens raised by local residents in Narok, Kenya, Aug. 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)

Zhuo Qiang (C) checks the chickens raised by local residents in Narok, Kenya, Aug. 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)
。

原标题：南中轴再现“南囿秋风”风貌位于规划南苑森林湿地公园范围内的久敬庄公园已面向市民开放本报讯（记者蒲长廷）鸟叫蝉鸣、流水潺潺，走进南苑森林湿地公园，仿佛置身绿色的海洋。北京青年报记者从丰台区获悉，南苑森林湿地公园占地508亩的B地块园林建设及南苑公园改造提升工程已完工，再现“南囿秋风”历史风貌。在建设的过程中，结合了空地和林地更新，昔日的村庄拆迁、建筑垃圾堆筑的渣土山，恢复了溪流浅滩、草甸林地景观，再现南苑沼泽水淀、天然野趣、鸥鹭翔集的风貌，在使城市“绿肺”增加的同时也提升了区域生物多样性和生态系统稳定性。北青报记者了解到，南苑森林湿地公园地块曾聚集着村镇工厂、批发市场、物流仓储，环境脏乱差，安全隐患重重，周边的居民群众怨声载道，丰台区紧紧扭住“疏解非首都功能”这个牛鼻子，进行疏解腾退后，建成了南苑森林湿地公园。如今，这里已经成为首都中心城区最大的绿色开放空间、南中轴上一片大型城市生态绿肺。南森公司相关负责人介绍，南苑森林湿地公园规划面积17.5平方公里，其中丰台区面积15.6平方公里，结构为“一轴两带、两核六区”，在构建首都南部结构性生态绿肺的同时，深入挖掘了南苑历史文化内涵，再现了“南囿秋风”历史风貌，使南苑地区成为了高质量发展的绿色引擎，引领南苑地区功能和品质全面跃升。同时，还规划布局了泡子湿地、海子森林、槐新森林、一亩古泉、高台望迥、槐房清源、御道文苑、飞放森林等八大特色景区，提供湿地游览、森林运动、科普教育等多元功能，最大限度满足游人需求，布局健康绿道。通过一系列科学的顶层设计，建成后的南苑森林湿地公园可为市民提供亲近自然、全龄友好的活动场所，促进人与自然和谐共生，满足人民美好生活需要，充分发挥地区生态服务价值，同时全面提升地区环境品质，促进高质量发展。南苑森林湿地公园的建设提升使区域生态效应日益体现。其生态效应体现在防风、固沙、保持水位，吸附粉尘，吸收二氧化碳释放氧气，隔离削减噪音等诸多方面。据了解，目前，南苑森林湿地公园已初具服务周边市民群众游览条件，2021年十一期间，公园被花草树木装扮成为一个色彩斑斓的世界，周边市民群众共计入园超过24600余人次，市民群众或在公园遛弯、或广场走秀、或打卡拍照、或悠闲地吹着萨克斯，形成一片温馨和谐的景象。