Forest ranger Yang Xingpu inspects the condition of a tree at the reservoir area of Shaikou Hydropower Station at Yudaihe National Wetland Park in Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, central China's Hunan Province, October 15, 2023. /CFP
With a forest cover of over 77 percent, the ecology of Tongdao Dong Autonomous County in central China's Hunan Province has been making steady improvement in recent years. This has not been possible without the dedication of the local forest rangers.
Forest ranger Yang Xingpu gives out a brochure of fire prevention to a tourist at the reservoir area of Shaikou Hydropower Station in the Yudaihe National Wetland Park in Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, central China's Hunan Province, October 15, 2023. /CFP
Fifty-three-year-old Yang Xingpu is one of them. He has been working at the reserve at the Shaikou Hydropower Station in the Yudaihe National Wetland Park since 2017.
Forest ranger Yang Xingpu eats lunch in the mountain at the reservoir area of Shaikou Hydropower Station in the Yudaihe National Wetland Park in Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, central China's Hunan Province, October 15, 2023. /CFP
Inspecting some 280 hectares of forest each day, Yang is responsible for checking if there are fire hazards, tree diseases or illegal logging. He also has the duty of disseminating knowledge of fire prevention among villagers.
A photo taken on October 15, 2023 shows an aerial view of the reservoir area of Shaikou Hydropower Station in the Yudaihe National Wetland Park in Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, central China's Hunan Province. /CFP
During autumn, a season with a high incidence of mountain fires, he is on call all day and occasionally lives in the mountains.