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China is building the world's largest national parks system

China is building the world's largest national parks system

Yahoo13-06-2025
China plans to overtake the United States by building the world's largest national park system, a network of wilderness bigger than Texas. Although China only created its first national park four years ago—some 149 years after the US did the same—it claims that by 2035 it will have 49 parks covering 272 million acres, triple the size of the U.S. National Park System.
China has already opened five national parks, totaling 57 million acres. Collectively, the parks span alpine peaks, tropical rainforests, remote glaciers, vast deserts, and high-altitude wetlands. They also protect rare animals like the Giant Panda, Siberian Tiger, and Asian Elephant. According to the Chinese Government, these parks are also preserving cultural heritage, boosting local economies, and enticing tourists to experience the country's diverse landscapes.
While domestic tourists flock to China's wilderness destinations, few foreigners follow suit, says Jun Wen, associate professor of tourism at Macau University of Science and Technology. Instead, most international visitors focus on China's giant, historic cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an. However, Wen believes that will change as China expands its park system; the country will become world-renowned for nature-based tourism.
(Our ancestors walked these trails hundreds of years ago. Now you can too.)
China's national park system will eclipse the US version, says Mei Zhang, CEO of Wild China, one of the country's biggest tour companies. Being launched so recently gives it the advantage of learning from the mistakes of other park systems.
'While the United States pioneered the Yellowstone model—preserving vast wilderness areas—it also made significant missteps,' Zhang says. 'Such as enclosing land and forcefully displacing Indigenous communities to create an image of 'pristine' wilderness. In contrast, China has the chance to chart its own course. By fostering a symbiotic relationship between local communities and wildlife conservation, China can create a national park system that integrates cultural vitality with ecological stewardship.'
That is a lofty goal, but then again, so is building the world's biggest national park system, from scratch in 14 years. China has a history of record-breaking mega-projects, from the world's largest dam to the planet's longest bridge, and an unrivalled high-speed rail network. Now China is channeling its vast wealth, ambition, and capability into protecting and showcasing its extraordinary, yet overlooked natural scenery. Here's a look at five national parks in China worth visiting now.
Wen recommends visiting Giant Panda National Park, which covers 6.6 million acres of mountainous land in Central China's Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu Provinces. It protects the habitats of most of the country's 1,900 wild Giant Pandas; a species found only in China.
The best time to see this park is between April and October when the weather is warmest, vegetation is thickest, and Giant Pandas are most active. All year round, parkgoers can see pandas and learn about these unique creatures at the park's panda research centers at Wolong and Dujiangyan.
'Visitors have the opportunity to explore panda habitats on foot and even volunteer to assist panda caretakers,' Wen says. 'They can observe the daily activities of pandas, including climbing trees, playing, eating, and tumbling.'
Good to know: Giant Panda National Park can be reached by flying into Chengdu and then heading two hours north by bus. The park is quite isolated; so, it is most easily explored on a guided tour booked with a Chinese tour company.
In addition to Giant Pandas, China's national parks aim to save rare animal species from extinction. Zhou says the endangered Amur leopards and Amur tigers are now protected in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. Located in northeast China, this national park covers 3.5 million acres along the borders with Russia and North Korea, and it eclipses the size of any national park in the lower 48 States of the U.S.
'Through removing fencing in forest zones, reconnecting fragmented habitats, and implementing ecological translocation, the park has restored essential migration and reproduction corridors for these species,' Zhou says.
Good to know: Visitors can observe some of these scientific projects up close by booking guided tours of this national park with Chinese tour operators like Benchmark. The isolated park can be reached by flying from Beijing or Shanghai into Yanji, followed by a three-to-four-hour bus ride.
(China just had a museum building spree. Here are 6 of the best.)
In northwest China's Qinghai Province, Sanjiangyuan National Park is 47 million acres and larger than Florida, making it China's largest park. The editor of Travel China Guide tour company, Catherine He says Sanjiangyuan is very diverse geographically. Dramatic mountains loom above glaciers, high-altitude wetlands, grassland meadows, desert plateaus, and mirrored lakes.
Sanjiangyuan is called 'China's Water Tower' because it is the source region of the Yangtze, Mekong, and Yellow rivers, says He. While exploring its pristine wilderness, visitors may spot unique snow leopards and Tibetan antelopes. According to the Chinese Government, this new park is why the antelope's population has soared to 70,000.
Good to know: Enter this vast park by flying into Xining or Golmud from big Chinese cities Xi'an, Shanghai, or Chengdu, and then take a relatively short bus or taxi ride. By visiting during the warmer months from May to September, visitors can hike its many trails in comfort, witness the park's grasslands in bloom, and increase their chances of seeing wildlife.
The new Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park is also impressive, according to Aliana Leong, Hospitality Professor from Macau University of Science and Technology. It envelops 1 million acres of Hainan, China's southernmost province. Sometimes called the 'Hawaii of China', Hainan is a picturesque island fringed by pretty beaches and with a hilly, verdant interior.
'This new national park has China's most diverse, best preserved, and largest contiguous area of tropical rainforest,' Leong says. Within its lush expanse lives 33 percent of China's reptile species, 38 percent of its bird species, 20 percent of its mammal species, and more than 3,500 plant species. Leong adds, 'It is the only habitat for the Hainan gibbon and a treasure trove of tropical biodiversity.'
Good to know: This park is quickly reached by bus or taxi from either of Hainan's two international airports. Embrace its untamed vibe by joining a whitewater rafting tour through the commanding Wuzhishan Grand Canyon.
(China's other great wall is impressive, too—and steeped in history.)
If you're on social media, then you may have seen eye-catching images and videos of Wuyi Mountain National Park. Covering 316,000 acres of mountainous terrain in Fujian and Jiangxi Provinces, it is known for its unusual Danxia landscapes, where red stone cliffs, gorges, and peaks contrast sharply against dense, green forests.
This park encompasses the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mount Wuyi, one of China's prettiest and most revered mountains, says Catherine He.
Good to know: Visitors can follow spectacular hiking trails, go bamboo rafting on Jiuqu Stream, wander splendid tea tree groves, or admire historic mountainside temples and monasteries, she recommends.
China already has thousands of protected nature reserves, says Ralf Buckley, emeritus professor of ecotourism at Australia's Griffith University. However, unlike most of the world's top national parks, those reserves don't qualify as national parks under the stringent system of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). So China designed its new national parks to meet the IUCN criteria by making them 'mainly for conservation, with limited tourism under strict regulation, and no residential housing'.
China's national park system is already improving wildlife preservation, says Bin Zhou, a tourism professor at China's Ningbo University. 'China is among the most biodiverse countries in the world, while also facing significant threats to its ecosystems,' Zhou says.
'The (park system) enables the designation of high-level protection zones in key ecological function areas, critical habitats, and ecological security barriers. Ensuring the long-term survival of flagship species such as the giant panda, Amur tiger and leopard, and Asian elephant, along with their habitats.'
The new parks have helped increase China's populations of 200 species of rare animals and about 100 endangered plant species, announced in May 2025.
(21 photos of China's best UNESCO World Heritage sites.)
China's national park system is also motivated by cultural heritage preservation, economic development, and public education, says Aliana Leong, a tourism professor at Macau University of Science and Technology. 'Many of China's national parks are rich in cultural and historical significance, so expanding the national park system helps protect ancient villages, traditional cultures, and historical sites,' she says.
'National parks also drive local economic growth through tourism. They create job opportunities, increase revenue, and promote sustainable development in rural and remote areas. (Finally) they serve as outdoor classrooms, raising public awareness of environmental protection and cultural heritage.'
Andrew Nelson is the author of National Geographic's recently published travel book Here Not There. Follow him on Instagram.
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How the sons of Teddy Roosevelt discovered the mythical Giant Panda
How the sons of Teddy Roosevelt discovered the mythical Giant Panda

New York Post

time3 days ago

  • New York Post

How the sons of Teddy Roosevelt discovered the mythical Giant Panda

Among the great hunters and adventurers of the Roaring 1920s were the two eldest sons of Teddy Roosevelt, America's 26th president, former New York governor and one of the country's most energetic and famous figures. The Roosevelt family had funded museums to fill their halls with exhibits of virtually every large animal known to man, but for one — the elusive and legendary creature, the giant black and white panda. 7 Ted and Kermit Roosevelt in 1926 during their ambitions and unprecedented journey across the Himalayas to find the mythical Giant Panda. Courtesy of the Library of Congress Emboldened by their legendary lineage, Ted Jr. and Kermit Roosevelt decided to follow in the footsteps of their big-game-hunting father who had brought back kills of lions, tigers, elephants and bears — often exhibited in New York City's American Museum of Natural History, which the boys' grandfather had co-founded in 1869. Pursuing fame and glory — as well as hoping to escape the shadow of their father — the brothers set out for remote, and inhospitable Himalayan mountains in Asia, which had yet to be explored by Westerners. Their goal was to find the panda thought to be some kind of polar bear — but a beast that many believed did not exist. And the brothers faced a punishing route up a 16,000-foot peak with howling winter storms. As Nathalia Holt writes in her deeply researched nonfiction account, 'The Beast in the Clouds: The Roosevelt Brothers' Deadly Quest to Find the Mythical Giant Panda' )One Signal Publishers): 'The animal the brothers coveted looked like no other species in the world . . . a black and white bear so rare that many people did not believe it was real. 7 The brother's legendary, swashbuckling father, Pres. Teddy Roosevelt, the pioneering naturalists who inspired his sons' search for the Giant Panda Getty Images 'Not even naturalists who had worked in China all their lives would say precisely where the creature lived, what it ate, or how it behaved . . . The Roosevelts desired this one animal so acutely that they could barely speak about it with each other, much less anyone else,' the author observes. Few people in the Republic of China had ever seen the panda, but there was a probable reference to it in Chinese literature in the early Third Century, according to the author. And proof of its existence arose when Joseph Milner, a missionary, donated the skin he had purchased of a giant panda to the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 1919. A French missionary, Armand David, had hired hunters in the Chinese province of Sichuan in 1869 to collect interesting specimens. They returned with a lifeless body of an unidentified animal, possibly the panda. David skinned it and shipped the pelt to Paris to be identified by experts. But scientists would not confirm it was authentic. 7 The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance, one of the many jew-dropping backdrops to the brothers' East Asian Panda quest in 1929. Photograph by Herbert Stevens In 1929, the determined Roosevelt siblings began an expedition to finally find this elusive bear, more legend than fact, in the inhospitable bamboo forests of the Tibetan Plateau in the high Himalayas. The brothers were accompanied by naturalists, trackers, guides, interpreters and scientists, and funded by Chicago's Field Museum and a wealthy donor. The Roosevelts were unprepared for what they faced: treacherous glacier crossings of the Himalayas, raiders ready to attack travelers, and air so thin that it was easy to die of oxygen deprivation. But they were driven by their ambitions to find a beast in the clouds that was considered the most challenging trophy on earth. The trail that crossed China and Tibet was desolate and forbidding with its intense wind, snow and ice, writes Holt. Indeed, there was 'no tent strong enough' to withstand the mountain squalls, and no fire hot enough to warm the explorers. 'These were the Roosevelts. They bore an air of invulnerability that had carried the entire group forward into this treacherous environment,' writes Holt — even when passing through a region called the Valley of Death, located in what is today the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, that was said to be full of evil spirits that haunted people while they slept — never to awaken. During the trek, forest walls closed in on all sides, and the extremely high mountain elevation made it difficult to breathe. There were bandits — including a 'band of eight hundred Tibetan marauders' — who roamed the rugged terrain. 7 Ted and Kermit Roosevelt in 1926 along with local associates who helped them with their quest to find the mythical Giant Panda. Courtesy of the Library of Congress One night, their team of mules mysteriously disappeared and starvation became a stark possibility with few provisions left beyond dried green peas and rice. A Tibetan lamasery provided nourishment before the crew moved on in blizzard-like storms. While the elusive panda remained little more than a fantasy, the scientists captured birds, broke their necks and skinned them. Capturing as many specimens as they could for natural history museums, an entire family of nine golden snub-nosed monkeys — the last of their kind — was killed in the name of science. After rugged days and nights, the expedition was finally on the panda's trail when reports of a white bear sighting came from a nearby village. The natives considered this beast a 'supernatural being, a sort of demi-god,' writes Holt. The villagers never tried to capture it and only agreed to take the white hunters in search of it — for money. At the base of a tree trunk, panda scat was discovered with bamboo in it, known to be the daily diet of the panda, along with its coarse white hair. 7 Today Giant Pandas still remain among the Earth's rarest creatures — often presented by the Chinese government to foreign nations as gifts of international diplomacy. Getty Images A trail of paw prints in the snow and half-munched bamboo quickly led them to their ultimate target. He was shot and killed on sight — a panda! 'For the explorers, it felt like the end,' writes Holt. 'In the five months of their expedition, the party had collected five thousand bird skins, two thousand small mammals, and forty big mammals,' but not the great bear. 'It was only here, at the end, that the brothers realized they had been wrong and the panda wasn't the wild, bellicose predator they had expected,' writes Holt. The gentleness of 'the panda had permanently altered their sense of purpose — and immediately following the panda hunt they were struck by illness.' A cut on Ted's leg became infected with bacteria spreading up his torso. News coming in revealed that Kermit's shipping business was headed to bankruptcy, and he had to return to New York. As soon as Kermit left, Ted felt himself emotionally and physically unraveling, according to Holt. 'His body ached from months of sleeping on the ground, repeated illness, and hard climbing,' Holt writes. 'Together we had shivered in the bitter winter cold of the high mountains and sweltered in the damp heat of the semi-tropics. Together we had passed through troubles ranging from lost mules to bandits. Now in all probability we would never meet again,' Ted later wrote. He came down with malaria and was admitted to a Saigon hospital where doctors found he had dysentery, caused by bacteria or parasites. The two brothers had always depended on each and now they were separated and barely speaking. 7 Author Nathalia Holt. Credit Larkin Holt Kermit's company was bleeding money and, worse, he had become an alcoholic. With his marriage unravelling, he started having affairs. In June 1943, he placed a revolver under his chin and pulled the trigger. Ted lived a year longer. They had awakened a pandamonium with pandas now being hunted for excessive sums becoming one of the rarest mammals on earth. 'A dark shadow had fallen across their lives the moment the brothers had simultaneously pulled their triggers,' writes the author. 'The panda hunt had forever altered his life,' writes Holt, and they had awakened a 'panda-monium' with pandas now being hunted for excessive sums becoming one of the rarest mammals on earth.

Fans bid teary farewell to four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan before their return to China
Fans bid teary farewell to four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan before their return to China

Associated Press

time5 days ago

  • Associated Press

Fans bid teary farewell to four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan before their return to China

SHIRAHAMA, Japan (AP) — Thousands of fans bid a teary farewell Friday to a family of four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan's coastal town of Shirahama as the animals made their last public appearance before their return to China. Around 3,000 visitors flocked to the Adventure World theme park to get a last glimpse of the beloved animals. Many rushed straight to the panda exhibit zone, calling out the names of their favorites. Although the 24-year-old mother Rauhin and her three daughters — Yuihin, Saihin and Fuhin — were all born and raised at the park, they remain on loan from China and must now be returned. Once they return to China, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo will be the only pandas left in Japan. More than 1,000 people, many wearing panda-themed attire, queued outside the entrance of the theme park hours before it opened while some camped outside the night before. Junko Ikeda, who came from the neighboring prefecture of Nara, slept in her camper van Thursday night to secure a parking spot for the pandas' send-off. 'I still can't believe they are all leaving,' Ikeda said. Giant pandas are native to southwestern China and serve as an unofficial national mascot. Beijing lends them to other countries as a sign of goodwill but maintains ownership over them and any cubs they produce. Born in 2000, Rauhin had seven other cubs with Eimei, a male panda sent from China in 1994. Eimei returned home two years ago. Despite strained political ties between Japan and China, giant pandas are hugely popular in Japan. 'We feel comforted just by looking at pandas,' said zoo director Koji Imazu. Imazu said the departure of the four pandas marks the end of the zoo's 30-year joint project with China. He thanked Chinese specialists for sharing their expertise with the Japanese staff and said the zoo will be ready for a new arrival at any time. 'Of course we all miss them, but I hope you could wish them good health when they go to China,' Imazu said. In Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said giant pandas are 'friendly ambassadors' conveying the goodwill of the Chinese people. Guo said that China and Japan have collaborated on panda conservation and research since 2000, and that China is ready to further strengthen international cooperation, including with Japan. Rauhin and her daughters will be flown to China on Saturday where they will join other pandas at a facility in Sichuan province near their original habitat. There, the three young ones will find partners. ___ Associated Press journalist Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

China is building the world's largest national parks system
China is building the world's largest national parks system

Yahoo

time13-06-2025

  • Yahoo

China is building the world's largest national parks system

China plans to overtake the United States by building the world's largest national park system, a network of wilderness bigger than Texas. Although China only created its first national park four years ago—some 149 years after the US did the same—it claims that by 2035 it will have 49 parks covering 272 million acres, triple the size of the U.S. National Park System. China has already opened five national parks, totaling 57 million acres. Collectively, the parks span alpine peaks, tropical rainforests, remote glaciers, vast deserts, and high-altitude wetlands. They also protect rare animals like the Giant Panda, Siberian Tiger, and Asian Elephant. According to the Chinese Government, these parks are also preserving cultural heritage, boosting local economies, and enticing tourists to experience the country's diverse landscapes. While domestic tourists flock to China's wilderness destinations, few foreigners follow suit, says Jun Wen, associate professor of tourism at Macau University of Science and Technology. Instead, most international visitors focus on China's giant, historic cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an. However, Wen believes that will change as China expands its park system; the country will become world-renowned for nature-based tourism. (Our ancestors walked these trails hundreds of years ago. Now you can too.) China's national park system will eclipse the US version, says Mei Zhang, CEO of Wild China, one of the country's biggest tour companies. Being launched so recently gives it the advantage of learning from the mistakes of other park systems. 'While the United States pioneered the Yellowstone model—preserving vast wilderness areas—it also made significant missteps,' Zhang says. 'Such as enclosing land and forcefully displacing Indigenous communities to create an image of 'pristine' wilderness. In contrast, China has the chance to chart its own course. By fostering a symbiotic relationship between local communities and wildlife conservation, China can create a national park system that integrates cultural vitality with ecological stewardship.' That is a lofty goal, but then again, so is building the world's biggest national park system, from scratch in 14 years. China has a history of record-breaking mega-projects, from the world's largest dam to the planet's longest bridge, and an unrivalled high-speed rail network. Now China is channeling its vast wealth, ambition, and capability into protecting and showcasing its extraordinary, yet overlooked natural scenery. Here's a look at five national parks in China worth visiting now. Wen recommends visiting Giant Panda National Park, which covers 6.6 million acres of mountainous land in Central China's Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu Provinces. It protects the habitats of most of the country's 1,900 wild Giant Pandas; a species found only in China. The best time to see this park is between April and October when the weather is warmest, vegetation is thickest, and Giant Pandas are most active. All year round, parkgoers can see pandas and learn about these unique creatures at the park's panda research centers at Wolong and Dujiangyan. 'Visitors have the opportunity to explore panda habitats on foot and even volunteer to assist panda caretakers,' Wen says. 'They can observe the daily activities of pandas, including climbing trees, playing, eating, and tumbling.' Good to know: Giant Panda National Park can be reached by flying into Chengdu and then heading two hours north by bus. The park is quite isolated; so, it is most easily explored on a guided tour booked with a Chinese tour company. In addition to Giant Pandas, China's national parks aim to save rare animal species from extinction. Zhou says the endangered Amur leopards and Amur tigers are now protected in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. Located in northeast China, this national park covers 3.5 million acres along the borders with Russia and North Korea, and it eclipses the size of any national park in the lower 48 States of the U.S. 'Through removing fencing in forest zones, reconnecting fragmented habitats, and implementing ecological translocation, the park has restored essential migration and reproduction corridors for these species,' Zhou says. Good to know: Visitors can observe some of these scientific projects up close by booking guided tours of this national park with Chinese tour operators like Benchmark. The isolated park can be reached by flying from Beijing or Shanghai into Yanji, followed by a three-to-four-hour bus ride. (China just had a museum building spree. Here are 6 of the best.) In northwest China's Qinghai Province, Sanjiangyuan National Park is 47 million acres and larger than Florida, making it China's largest park. The editor of Travel China Guide tour company, Catherine He says Sanjiangyuan is very diverse geographically. Dramatic mountains loom above glaciers, high-altitude wetlands, grassland meadows, desert plateaus, and mirrored lakes. Sanjiangyuan is called 'China's Water Tower' because it is the source region of the Yangtze, Mekong, and Yellow rivers, says He. While exploring its pristine wilderness, visitors may spot unique snow leopards and Tibetan antelopes. According to the Chinese Government, this new park is why the antelope's population has soared to 70,000. Good to know: Enter this vast park by flying into Xining or Golmud from big Chinese cities Xi'an, Shanghai, or Chengdu, and then take a relatively short bus or taxi ride. By visiting during the warmer months from May to September, visitors can hike its many trails in comfort, witness the park's grasslands in bloom, and increase their chances of seeing wildlife. The new Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park is also impressive, according to Aliana Leong, Hospitality Professor from Macau University of Science and Technology. It envelops 1 million acres of Hainan, China's southernmost province. Sometimes called the 'Hawaii of China', Hainan is a picturesque island fringed by pretty beaches and with a hilly, verdant interior. 'This new national park has China's most diverse, best preserved, and largest contiguous area of tropical rainforest,' Leong says. Within its lush expanse lives 33 percent of China's reptile species, 38 percent of its bird species, 20 percent of its mammal species, and more than 3,500 plant species. Leong adds, 'It is the only habitat for the Hainan gibbon and a treasure trove of tropical biodiversity.' Good to know: This park is quickly reached by bus or taxi from either of Hainan's two international airports. Embrace its untamed vibe by joining a whitewater rafting tour through the commanding Wuzhishan Grand Canyon. (China's other great wall is impressive, too—and steeped in history.) If you're on social media, then you may have seen eye-catching images and videos of Wuyi Mountain National Park. Covering 316,000 acres of mountainous terrain in Fujian and Jiangxi Provinces, it is known for its unusual Danxia landscapes, where red stone cliffs, gorges, and peaks contrast sharply against dense, green forests. This park encompasses the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mount Wuyi, one of China's prettiest and most revered mountains, says Catherine He. Good to know: Visitors can follow spectacular hiking trails, go bamboo rafting on Jiuqu Stream, wander splendid tea tree groves, or admire historic mountainside temples and monasteries, she recommends. China already has thousands of protected nature reserves, says Ralf Buckley, emeritus professor of ecotourism at Australia's Griffith University. However, unlike most of the world's top national parks, those reserves don't qualify as national parks under the stringent system of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). So China designed its new national parks to meet the IUCN criteria by making them 'mainly for conservation, with limited tourism under strict regulation, and no residential housing'. China's national park system is already improving wildlife preservation, says Bin Zhou, a tourism professor at China's Ningbo University. 'China is among the most biodiverse countries in the world, while also facing significant threats to its ecosystems,' Zhou says. 'The (park system) enables the designation of high-level protection zones in key ecological function areas, critical habitats, and ecological security barriers. Ensuring the long-term survival of flagship species such as the giant panda, Amur tiger and leopard, and Asian elephant, along with their habitats.' The new parks have helped increase China's populations of 200 species of rare animals and about 100 endangered plant species, announced in May 2025. (21 photos of China's best UNESCO World Heritage sites.) China's national park system is also motivated by cultural heritage preservation, economic development, and public education, says Aliana Leong, a tourism professor at Macau University of Science and Technology. 'Many of China's national parks are rich in cultural and historical significance, so expanding the national park system helps protect ancient villages, traditional cultures, and historical sites,' she says. 'National parks also drive local economic growth through tourism. They create job opportunities, increase revenue, and promote sustainable development in rural and remote areas. (Finally) they serve as outdoor classrooms, raising public awareness of environmental protection and cultural heritage.' Andrew Nelson is the author of National Geographic's recently published travel book Here Not There. Follow him on Instagram.

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