Guardians of the Sky: Saving Endangered Seabirds in East China!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on a beautiful island, surrounded by the sea, waves, and the songs of birds? 🌊🐦 That’s exactly what 29-year-old He Jibai does! He has one of China’s most poetic jobs: a seabird monitor.
He used to work in biodiversity research and has loved nature since he was a kid. In 2022, he joined a special program on an island in the Nanji Archipelago National Marine Nature Reserve in Wenzhou City, east China’s Zhejiang Province. His mission? To help protect endangered seabirds!
Together with other seabird monitors, He watches over terns, a type of seabird. They follow the terns from the time they arrive on the island, through courtship, egg-laying, hatching chicks, and until they fly away again. It’s like being a guardian for these special birds! 🐣
Their job isn’t always easy. They help manage the birds’ habitat, control rodents (like mice) that might eat eggs, and make sure the birds stay healthy. They also keep an eye on other amazing animals like Eurasian otters and East Asian finless porpoises! 🐾🐬
The most important bird they protect is the Chinese crested tern. This bird is critically endangered, which means there are very few left in the world. But thanks to the hard work of people like He, their numbers are growing!
Did you know? In 2010, there were fewer than 50 Chinese crested terns. By 2022, there were more than 200! 🎉 And most of them are found in Zhejiang Province.
Every year, thousands of people apply to be seabird monitors, but only a few are chosen. They need to know a lot about birds and nature. But their work helps scientists learn more about how to protect these amazing creatures.
Professor Fan Zhongyong from the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History says that the data collected by seabird monitors is super important. It helps create better ways to protect the birds and their homes.
This success story shows that when people care and work hard, we can help save endangered animals! Maybe one day, you could be a guardian of nature too. 😊
Reference(s):
Endangered seabird guardians boost wildlife conservation in E China
cgtn.com
