“Ding ling ling...” Recently, a loud alarm sounded in the hallway of the Qingyuan Protection Center of the Qianjiangyuan-Baishanzu National Park, where a tense emergency drill was underway. The “Cloud Monitoring” application of the “Digital Baishanzu” platform detected a suspected forest fire near the Baishanzu Park area in Wudabao Township and promptly issued an alert. Upon receiving and confirming the alarm, the protection center immediately mobilized nearly 30 personnel, including the Baishanzu Divine Eagle Flight Team and the Baishanzu Fierce Tiger Forest Fire Rescue Team, to the scene. Using high-pressure forest fire pumps for water-based fire suppression and drones to drop water bombs, the fire drill was successfully completed within an hour and a half.

The Baishanzu Park area within the proposed Qianjiangyuan-Baishanzu National Park is a critical ecological security barrier for East China and the Yangtze River Delta region, as well as one of China’s 17 globally significant biodiversity conservation hotspots. It boasts a well-preserved mid-subtropical forest ecosystem, serving as the world's only habitat for the relic plant Baishanzu fir (Abies beshanzuensis), a sanctuary for rare and endangered species such as the black muntjac and southern yew, and one of China's most abundant regions for wild macrofungi genetic resources.

Spanning the borders of Longquan, Qingyuan, and Jingning counties (cities), the Baishanzu Park covers a planned area of approximately 505 square kilometers. Managing and protecting such a vast natural ecological area effectively and scientifically is paramount.

To this end, the Baishanzu Administration of the Qianjiangyuan-Baishanzu National Park has actively explored and advanced the development of an information-based system, establishing a robust “sky-land-air” integrated monitoring and protection network. Through the "Digital Baishanzu" platform, it integrates applications such as personnel and vehicle control, biodiversity monitoring, ranger management, and “cloud monitoring”, combined with high-altitude remote sensing imagery data, to safeguard the ecological environment and species resources comprehensively. This has resulted in an 80% reduction in law enforcement manpower and a 90% expansion in patrol coverage.

“The park’s vast, pristine natural ecosystem, with its rugged terrain and dense forests, made manual patrols difficult and inefficient in the past. Now, with technological tools like drones, our work efficiency has improved dramatically. During this year’s May Day holiday, we successfully intercepted a poaching incident late at night using drones,” said Wu Linfei, deputy director of the Jinzifeng Protection Station at the Qingyuan Protection Center.

Wu explained that an 8-kilometer firebreak inspection, which previously took team members over eight hours of arduous trekking to complete, can now be accomplished in just 11 minutes and 28 seconds by setting up automated drone patrols via the “Digital Baishanzu” platform. Multiple patrols can be conducted daily, and the system automatically identifies anomalies, promptly notifying rangers for further assessment and action.

The upgraded “Digital Baishanzu” platform not only enhances protection efficiency but also employs IoT technology to strategically deploy high-altitude cameras, infrared sensors, and environmental monitoring devices. It has recorded over 100,000 data points on air quality, meteorology, water quality, and wetland conditions, collected more than 40,000 biodiversity records, and monitored 180 animal species, including 35 under key protection.

As one of the world’s 12 most endangered plants, the conservation of Baishanzu fir remains a core mission of the park. To this end, the Baishanzu Administration has established an intelligent health monitoring system based on multi-source visual data. By installing multi-angle, multi-resolution visible light imaging devices, it enables real-time, round-the-clock dynamic monitoring of the Baishanzu fir. The system innovatively applies time-series analysis models to compare real-time data with historical records, allowing for more scientific assessments of plant health.

Under effective scientific protection, 83 seedlings have been successfully cultivated from mother tree seeds of the Baishanzu fir, over 600 natural seedlings have sprouted beneath mother trees, an 82-acre wild population base has been established, and 4,000 reintroduced saplings have been planted.

“Beyond this, the ‘Digital Baishanzu’ platform is the first to deeply integrate cutting-edge technologies like AI recognition, IoT, and edge computing into forest protection scenarios. It addresses industry challenges such as low accuracy in smoke detection under complex conditions and extends to wildlife conservation, ecological restoration, and other applications, covering functions like weather warnings, smoke/fire detection, water surface debris, pedestrian and vehicle monitoring, and species image and acoustic recognition,” explained Zhu Shan from the Baishanzu Scientific Research and Monitoring Center. For instance, if a vehicle enters the park multiple times at night through key checkpoints, lingers for an extended period, and leaves in the early morning, the system flags it as a poaching suspect and alerts staff.

A representative from the Baishanzu Administration stated that future efforts will focus on advancing digital and intelligent management to enhance scientific conservation effectiveness, achieving comprehensive, multi-layered, and meticulous “cloud guardianship” of the park’s resources, and actively contributing to the development of the national park.