Li Weidong, a wildlife protection expert, has dedicated his career to the protection of wild animals in China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. He is also an expert in lagomorphs for the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission. One of his most notable achievements is leading a program that provided consultation before and during the construction of the G7 Expressway, which is the longest stretch of desert expressway in the world.
The G7 Expressway connects Beijing and Urumqi, the regional capital in Northwest China. The expressway includes a railway flyover that spans a highway and is built with a “land bridge” 100 meters wide, specifically designed for wildlife to safely cross the expressway. There are two such constructions over the 515-kilometer expressway section connecting Wutongdaquan in Hami and Mulei Kazak autonomous county. In addition to these, there are 60 road bridges and downslopes built for wild animals.
Li Weidong and his colleagues from the NGO he initiated have investigated the distribution and number of common species in the area, especially the ungulates. Based on field research and monitoring data from infrared cameras, Li reports that large- and middle-sized wild animals have gradually become accustomed to the wildlife passages. Mongolian wild asses and goitered gazelles can be seen traversing the overpasses and underpasses with ease.
Initially, Li opposed the construction plan because he believed that the railway intersecting the highway meant the two enclosed roads would block animal migration from all sides. However, he and his colleagues worked with decision-makers, architects, and construction units to conceive the wildlife-passage solution. Li’s team surveyed the progress of the project on-site and suggested where to set up some of these passages. They especially helped determine the elevation of the downslopes, which determines the height of the roadbed and directly affects the cost of the expressway project.
Li had to take the concerns of the construction team into consideration. Based on monitoring data, he put forward a minimum height of 3.6 meters instead of 4.5 meters, as they had originally presumed, which helped the construction in many ways. Li’s team also guided animals with water, food, and odor to help them adjust to wildlife passages.
The wildlife passages over the G7 Expressway aim to minimize human intervention and guarantee safe passage for the animals. They are covered with sand and gravel to simulate natural conditions. The railway-wildlife passage-highway structure is an unprecedented trial in the country, and Li believes that the passages have met the basic needs of wildlife migration in the area.
Li believes that the wildlife passages are a proper solution to balance economic development and ecological protection, and an actual demonstration to show how difficult it is to convert the concept into practice. He feels relieved and proud that they managed it with joint effort and that, in the face of frequent doubt, misunderstanding, disregard, and rebuke over the decades, he has always stayed true to his principles.
Over the past 10 years, woodland, grassland, wetland, rivers and lakes, as well as other land types with strong ecological function in Xinjiang, have increased by 7.5 million hectares, according to the regional government. Li says that great improvement has taken place in regard to Xinjiang’s ecological situation, and that with more wildlife being observed, the way people and nature coexist is changing. He feels that, in recent years, carrying out work has been much smoother, and his decades of effort have yielded good results.
Li recognizes Xinjiang’s magnificent landscapes and abundant biodiversity resources, while understanding the urgent demand for development. Without better economy and infrastructure, talk of ecological and environmental protection, especially in deserted regions, would be meaningless.
In the eastern part of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a railway flyover spans a highway and includes a “land bridge” 100 meters wide for wildlife to safely cross the expressway. This flyover is part of the G7 Expressway, which connects Beijing and Urumqi, the regional capital in Northwest China. In addition to the flyover, there are 60 road bridges and downslopes for wild animals along the 515-kilometer expressway section connecting Wutongdaquan in Hami and Mulei Kazak autonomous county. After 18 months since its completion, Mongolian wild asses and goitered gazelles are seen using the overpasses and underpasses with ease.
Li Weidong, a 67-year-old wildlife protection expert, played a crucial role in the program that provided consultation during the expressway’s construction and monitored wildlife activities since its completion. He stated that large- and middle-sized wild animals have gradually become accustomed to the wildlife passages based on field research and monitoring data from infrared cameras. Li’s NGO investigated the distribution and number of common species in the area, particularly the ungulates. He has joined protection programs for the Tibetan antelope, Camelus ferus (wild camel), Mongolian wild asses, and others. Li has been consulting on and delivering environmental impact assessments of major construction projects in the region.
Li recognizes the need for infrastructure development but emphasizes the importance of balancing development with wildlife conservation. According to him, the G7 Expressway is not only a transportation artery but also a natural corridor that connects different ecological zones, providing an opportunity for wildlife to move and breed. The wildlife passages over the expressway have allowed for the restoration of the natural migration patterns of wild animals, promoting the growth and diversification of wildlife populations.
The successful implementation of wildlife passages over the G7 Expressway can serve as a model for future infrastructure projects in other regions of China and beyond. Li believes that the construction of such passages can mitigate the negative impact of infrastructure development on wildlife and ensure the harmonious coexistence of human activities and nature. The construction of wildlife passages over the G7 Expressway is a successful example of balancing infrastructure development and wildlife conservation, with Li Weidong’s work providing consultation and monitoring wildlife activities instrumental in the project’s success. The implementation of wildlife passages over the G7 Expressway ensures the harmonious coexistence of human activities and nature and promotes the growth and diversification of wildlife populations.
Li Weidong, a former public health expert, accidentally discovered the Ili pika 40 years ago while searching for the source of plague foci in the Tianshan Mountains. He feels responsible for the survival of the endangered species, saying, “If I don’t protect it and it becomes extinct, I’ll be the one to blame.” The Ili pika, a small mammal with bright fur and big round ears, is endemic to the bare rocks of the Tianshan Mountains, living alone and eating rare alpine plants such as snow lotus and Rhodiola rosea.
As the discoverer of the Ili pika, Li estimated there were around 3,000 of them when it was formally recognized as a new species in 1986. However, in 2002, he became anxious that the species had lost half of its habitat. Since then, he has systematically investigated the population of Ili pika every four years, mainly by tracking their spoor and monitoring their food storage. Among the 14 monitoring points in the Tianshan Mountains, they have only discovered a few new trails and food stores, mainly at Glacier No 1 on the headwaters of the Urumqi River and in Jinghe county, Bortala Mongolian autonomous prefecture.
The Ili pika is often compared to a cross between a rabbit and a mouse, but it actually belongs to the Lagomorpha order. It has the largest ears, longest hind feet, and largest body size among the world’s 30 pika species. Li believes that keeping a low-profile to minimize human influence would benefit the creature’s preservation. However, the loss of its habitat has made him anxious for the species’ survival.
Li’s discovery and protection of the Ili pika has become his career focus over the years. He has also joined protection programs for other endangered species, including the Tibetan antelope, Camelus ferus (wild camel), Mongolian wild asses, and others. He has consulted on, and delivered environmental impact assessments of, major construction projects in the region. He recognizes the need for infrastructure development but also emphasizes the importance of balancing development with wildlife conservation.
Li’s work in protecting the Ili pika and other endangered species has raised awareness of their conservation and has influenced policies and practices to protect them. Li believes that protecting the Ili pika is not only important for preserving the species itself, but also for preserving the ecological balance of the Tianshan Mountains. He hopes that his efforts will inspire others to take action to protect endangered species and their habitats.
Kaderhan Bayken, the director of the wild fauna and flora conservation and management center at Bortala’s forestry and grassland administration, has been working with Li for more than a decade to protect the Ili pika. Bayken has accompanied Li on field investigations and monitoring excursions and admires his persistence. Despite being in his late 60s, Li continues to embark on challenging journeys through isolated lands, up to an altitude of 6,000 meters, in search of the Ili pika. In some places, even horses could not reach, and falling over could lead to severe injury, as both Bayken and Li have experienced.
Li and his wife are determined to find the Ili pika, even though their friends have tried to dissuade them from these journeys. They bet on where to place the infrared cameras that are most likely to capture an image of an Ili pika. Bayken explains that local herders in Jinghe county have been volunteering to help patrol and maintain monitoring equipment during the summer grazing season. Some of these volunteers are children of those who accompanied Li in the early days.
Li states that 71% of the Ili pika’s habitat has disappeared, and there may now be less than 1,000 Ili pikas in the wild. The species is cold-resistant and has moved to higher altitudes due to global warming, with some having reached the peaks, where they have nowhere left to retreat. Inbreeding and a fragmented population further reduce the quantity and reproductive quality of the Ili pika.
In 2021, the Ili pika was listed as being under second-grade State protection, providing some relief to Li. In August of the same year, volunteers captured images of an Ili pika in Jinghe county, which gained widespread attention on social media. They also found fresh Ili pika excreta in Kuqa, a place where the species was previously thought to have died out. Li explains that the Ili pika is extremely sensitive to climate change, and its disappearance indicates damage and shrinking of our living environment. Li emphasized this point in a promotional video for the first sitting of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP 15, in Kunming, Yunnan province, in October 2021.
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