Large-scale wildlife conservation usually requires coordination among different sectors of society. But in southwest China's Sichuan Province, one man has been looking after thousands of egrets over the past two decades, only with the help of his family. And it's a job that doesn't pay, at least not in monetary terms. CGTN's Tang Bo went for a visit to see what has made the man so determined to protect the birds.

20 square kilometers of woodland, home to over 4,000 egrets. In a region of rich agriculture, this place is an ecological sanctuary.

Liao Quanfu owns part of the land. He rented the rest 20 years ago, with a plan to start a timber business. But the trees that he planted attracted thousands of egrets. So the business plan turned into a two-decade-long mission of bird preservation. And not a single piece of wood has been sold since.

LIAO QUANFU EGRET GARDEN "More and more egrets keep coming to live here, and it's become a suitable place for breeding. I just want to give them a home, and there's nowhere else nearby that they can go."

And not just the egrets, located in Guanhan city in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, the woodland has become home to more than 40 bird species. The number is still growing.

Liao Quanfu works to maintain the forest for the birds every day. Things were going well until a power substation was built nearby in 2014.

LIAO QUANFU EGRET GARDEN "Lots of young egrets hit the electric wires. Now birds have to go either really high up or extremely low to avoid hitting the wires. They cannot fly freely in the region anymore."

Some trees were cut down during the substation construction. That led to tensions between Liao and the local power authorities. But he and his family seem to have become even more determined to keeping protecting the birds.

LIAO FAN LIAO QUANFU'S DAUGHTER "My mom broke down in tears when she heard the egrets rattle as their nests were destroyed. I realized at that moment that my mom loved those birds too."

To better protect the birds, the family moved to the woodland in 2017 and named it the Egret Garden.

Liao spent two years building their house, using recycled construction materials. As a result, their new home went viral on social media. But the popularity didn't translate into profits.

Over the past two decades, the woodland hasn't brought in any economic benefits. Liao even sold his apartment to support the garden's day-to-day operations.

LIAO QUANFU EGRET GARDEN "Some people suggested I make the house a home Inn. But that requires more people to work here, and they would disturb the birds together with visitors."

TANG BO GUANGHAN, SICHUAN PROVINCE "The woodland has now been chosen by a kindergarten as an outdoor education activity site, which is why we see some children here, playing and trying to learn more about birds and nature. It all happened by chance, but Liao and his family regard it as a start to add more value to the woodland."

Children can have first-hand experiences with the birds, trees, feathers, and eggs. They are brought here to make direct contact with nature.

DENG LI, PRINCIPAL LITTLE HOUSE KINDERGARTEN "I understand how much Liao and his family have invested in protecting those birds. That's why I chose the woodland and hope it can help build up a strong connection between the children and nature, making them understand mankind and nature are a systematic unity."

Compared with a tourist program, Liao and his family much prefer outdoor education like this. They hope to explore similar programs in the future, through which the woodland can survive and more importantly, their mission on bird preservation can be further promoted.

Tang Bo, CGTN, Guanghan, Sichuan Province.