W hen the rooster crows， Ren Weidong wakes up. From his window， he takes in deep breaths of fresh forestry air， while his eyes feast on the serene mist rising from the canyon as the birds’ cheerful chorus resonates across the mountain. As if to set the rhythm， the dogs bark from time to time. The morning is an undisputed setting of bucolic beauty. Yet Ren is eager to leave the lodge located in the middle of the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve in Yunnan Province and set out on another pictorial adventure.
　　This amateur photographer， equipped with his camera and a pair of binoculars， took advantage of his retirement to go on ornithological excursions. In his quest for more variety， Ren doesn’t hesitate to drive thousands of kilometers from his home province of Zhejiang， purely for the purpose of bird study and observation.
　　To accomplish his mission of the day， he is accompanied by Mi Bosi， a 41-year-old guide from Sanhe Village， Luzhang Town in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture. As soon as he’s settled into the observatory at Mi’s house， Ren marvels at the sight of various colorful species roosting and feeding on the bamboo stalks placed right in front of the vibrantly colored erythrina， a genus of flowering plants in the pea family， in Mi’s courtyard. From the shelter of a camouflage tent， he can’t help but press the shutter button to capture everything he sees. Every now and then， he will ask his guide about the names of the birds in the pictures he’s just taken.
　　In just half a day， Ren was able to photograph and identify five species of the souimangas—fire-tailed， black-breasted， yellow-rumped， blue-throated and yellow-bellied birds—which account for almost half of the observable species in the country. He couldn’t have been more pleased with the day’s findings.

Tapping into nature’s value

　　The Gaoligong reserve was included in the World Wildlife Fund’s List of Nature Reserves of International Importance in 1992 and added to the UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2000. It is home to over 520 species of birds， accounting for more than 30 percent of the national total， making it a sanctuary for man’s feathered friends. Every year， thousands of bird enthusiasts like Ren visit this little paradise.
　　Despite the abundance of natural resources， locals struggled for generations to carve out a more decent livelihood for their families. Just four years ago， Mi was working as a truck driver. He found his health rapidly deteriorating due to stress stemming from the long working hours.

　　In 2018， as his village embarked on its newfound bird tourism， the emergence of novel professions related to heritage enhancement and green recreation development finally changed all that. Mi became a guide as well as the manager of a waterside bird raising farm. His services include catering， accommodation， camera setup， backpack preparation， interpretation and photography courses.
　　His success story is not rare among local residents. The 45 guides in Sanhe， just like Mi， have all moved above the poverty line. Nevertheless， the local population initially proved somewhat skeptical about this very“modern” occupation. Mi remarked at the time， “I’ve seen a lot of birds ever since I was a kid. How can they make money for us？”

Benefiting all

　　Zhang Chaojiang， a staff member of the prefectural science and technology bureau， was stationed in Sanhe for the purpose of poverty alleviation support. A photography enthusiast himself， Zhang caught a glimpse of what the future might hold for the village during a 2016 trip to Baihualing in Baoshan City， also located within the Gaoligong reserve. Consequently， he decided to take the residents of Sanhe on a visit to Baihualing， to demonstrate the area’s budding potential in the field of bird tourism.
　　Their visit to Baihualing convinced everyone in Sanhe of the prospective profitability of this new commercial undertaking， further boosted by a growing awareness of both the beauty and fragility of biodiversity among the country’s general public. To truly tap into it， the village launched its very own Bird Valley in 2018.
　　The success of the program would have been impossible without the funding of Yuan Kaiyou， a businessman previously involved in Zhejiang’s tourism sector before returning home to Sanhe in 2007 to help develop the village. Project participants agreed to set up a system of assigning a certain number of visitors to each local guide according to their interest， allowing all to benefit from the development of the sector in equitable manner. According to their rough calculations， a tourist easily spends 200-300 yuan （$31-46） per day on lodging， transportation and other services related to bird watching.
　　The sales of local agricultural products such as wild mushrooms， honey， and medicinal herbs are also gaining momentum， thanks to the boom in bird tourism.
　　The local outlook on birds， too， has undergone tremendous change. Birds are now considered as a significant source of income that must be well taken care of. Today， more than 1，300 people in the village are active in the field of bird protection. “If anyone dares to hunt the birds， everyone will try to stop that instantly，” Zhang said.
　　The value chain of bird tourism is not limited to Sanhe， but now covers several other villages in Luzhang. In the coming years， Zhang plans to expand the bird tourism program to neighboring townships. BR