A report in China has revealed that the number of park rangers has been falling over the past few years, posing a challenge for China as it establishes more national natural reserves protecting more than 85 percent of key wildlife.

According to the Status Report of Chinese Nature Reserve Staff published by Duke Kunshan University in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, the age of rangers varies from 18 to 62, with more than half of full-time rangers aged 40 and older.

The Global Times reached out to one of the main contributors of the report to talk about the most worrying issues facing natural reserves with the most pressing being the huge age gap that can lead to "a future shortage in professional rangers."

"The most worrying thing is that fewer young people are willing to do this job anymore. The failure to keep up with salary standards is making the job less attractive to young people," said Li Binbin, assistant professor at the Environmental Research Center of Duke Kunshan University.

Li said that the conflict between urban development and nature conservation is one of the reasons behind low salaries for park rangers.

"Local governments often want to invest more money in developing local economies, leaving a smaller portion of the budget to give to the rangers that are conducting dangerous patrols in the mountains," Li mentioned.

A multi-reason issue

The lack of young rangers has also been attributed to a gender imbalance in the industry and a lack of legal authority. 

Li said that the fact that this is a male orientated industry can be a "tricky problem," as some people think that young women are incapable of going on mountainous field trips.

"For example, when we went to certain places, many male researchers told me that I would definitely not be able to go. They only let me go after I insisted that I must," she noted.

The lack of power to enforce the law also puts forest rangers in "a rather embarrassing situation," Li said, adding that "most rangers do not have the right to enforce a law. If an armed poacher enters a park illegally, rangers are not able to pursue them as they are not allowed to have firearms."

'Most important role'

By the end of 2019, over 2,700 nature reserves had been established nationwide, covering a total area of 1.47 million square kilometers, or about 15 percent of China's land area.

To more effectively patrol these parks, high technology has been put to good use.

In Hoh Xil, Northwest China's Qinghai Province, the local government has been using the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in conjunction with solar-powered drones and high-definition smart cameras to research Tibetan antelopes, track their numbers, habitats and migration patterns to better provide protection.

According to the latest release from the National Forestry and Grass Administration, the number of Tibetan antelopes in China has increased to about 300,000 as of August. Their protection level has been downgraded, from an endangered species to a near threatened species, thanks to the assistance of high-tech wild animal tracking systems.

"No matter how advanced technology gets, human experience is indispensable. When we use infrared cameras in the wild, we need personnel to maintain them. For example, every three or four months, you have to change the battery, so you must rely on people to operate them," Li noted.