Spring Mission at Baoxing (宝兴县) and HeiZhuGou (黑竹沟)

LWMEH participants: Profs. Li Li and Patrick Giraudoux, with Tang HeiXia

24-26 March : Accompanied by Mr Xue Kang (薛康), initial contact with the authorities in Ya’an (雅安) and a visit to the BiFengXia (碧峰峡) Chinese Giant Panda Research and Conservation Centre, where 73 pandas are kept, followed by a visit to Muping (穆坪), the place where Armand David (1826–1900) lived and where he introduced a large number of species to science, including the giant panda and the golden monkey, Rhinopithecus roxellana. A collaboration between the LWMEH and the county is being planned.

27 March : lecture at the Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences : "Biodiversity, water, food, health, climate: everything is connected. The IPBES Nexus Assessment."

30 March : lecture at the Leshan Normal University : "Conservation of the Black-and-White snub-nosed monkey, ecotourism and Museums : what are the challenges?"

30 March - 2 april : Guided by Mr Zhu Quan (朱荃), a visit to the HeiZhuGou Nature Reserve in Ebian Yi Autonomous County, where the giant panda population is estimated at 53, and red panda and leopard are still present. Meeting with the local authorities and exchanges about future collaborations between the reserve and the WiMEH.

3 April :

• Meeting with Mr Sun Qian (孙前) in Chengdu, author of several books on the life of Armand David
• Meeting with Wen Hao and his team, from Xinjiang Medical University, in preparation for the June mission