Educational Background: I spent the first two years of my college life in the Sichuan University in China, majoring in Biology. In my junior year I went to the University of Washington in the USA as an exchange student. Now I’m on the way of getting my bachelor’s degree in June and starting to pursue a graduate education at the UW in September.
Where I live and how I view my environment: I live in the Sichuan province, which holds the second largest biodiversity in China. There are 22 national reserves in Sichuan. Just to name a few: Jiuzhaigou National Park, one of the World’s Natural Heritage, attracts millions of tourists every year; Wolong National Nature Reserve is famous for the giant panda—a living fossil and often being used as the symbol of China; and the Zoige Wetland National Nature Reserve has a large biodiversity and a lot of unique endemic species, due to its complex habitats.
My hometown, the city of Chengdu, has enjoyed the laudatory label the “Land of Abundance” since ancient time, because it is endowed with moderate climate and rich soil and thus has abundant products. It is a pleasant place to live in.
Biodiversity means to me personally: A variety of crops contribute to different food in my dish. Gene-modified soy beans and corns provide me with more nutrients. Improved crop yields make it possible to support the large population in China with a given amount of farm land.
With flowers decorating my room, trees keeping the environment clean and the song of birds as my morning call…where I’m living would be a colourful and enjoyable place.
In spare time, I enjoy travelling and taking pictures, especially to places with charming natural sceneries. Mountains, seas, forests, and plains… they have unique beauties in their each way.
My Symbol of biodiversity: The Panda.
My motivation for participating: I could learn a wide range of knowledge about biodiversity as well as its conservation and the sustainable development. Since biodiversity is a global issue, it would be very helpful for people from different counties to share information and learn from each other.
Also, it would be a special experience living in the International Wilderness Camp. Without so many modern facilities around, I could realize more deeply about the value of biodiversity and the harm of its loss personally.
Through communicating with peers coming from all over the world, I could gain insights into diverse cultures in other countries and learn to cooperate with people from different backgrounds. This could help me to become a more open-minded person.
How did I show I am ready to "Go 4 BioDiv": I began to work on biodiversity since my first year in college. My field trip to Xichang in Sichuan Province, China, offered me the chance of learning biological invasion through first-hand work. In the summers of 2005 and 2006, I went to Wanglang and Wolong National Nature Reverse respectively, to study the biodiversity. It was the time that I smelled the fragrance of biodiversity. I was especially impressed by the ecological tourism there. In my sophomore year, I lead a project on analyzing the quality of bird habitats and environment evaluation in Chengdu city. During this process I learned a lot of knowledge and also gained many inspirations. I then went to study at the University of Washington in the USA in my junior year. I did two field trips there. One was to the Oregon State to collect some samples of Rhododendron for later study on its speciation and evolution. The other was to the Friday Harbor in Washington State to study the vertical migration of planktons. I also went to visit the Olympic National Park in spring break. Besides, I learned how to make bird specimens which are essential tools for our understanding of the nature and better conserving the species.
My message to other participants: We share the same planet.
