Wanzhou: Survival of Endangered Ferns

On the steep cliffs of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River grows a fern species that once coexisted with dinosaurs. Known as the “giant panda of the plant kingdom," Adiantum nelumboides is a critically endangered "living fossil" that bears witness to continental drift.

Over the past two decades, Chinese researchers have risked their lives to rescue the last remaining 500 mother plants from sheer cliffs. Through technological innovation, they developed a unique "hanging bag method" to reintroduce the fern into the wild, boosting its survival rate to 95 percent.

Through perseverance and ingenuity, these researchers have written a notable Chinese success story in the conservation of critically endangered species.