Zeng Dehua, a researcher from Sanya Academy of Forestry, collects seeds of a century-old Lumnitzera littorea plant at Tielu port mangrove nature reserve in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 9, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)

Lumnitzera littorea, dubbed "giant panda" among mangrove plants, have been placed under first-class national protection. They are noted for being extreme picky of their growing environment, and the population of wild Lumnitzera littorea plants was once reduced to merely 14.

Researchers from Sanya Academy of Forestry have been exerting all possible means to prevent these botanic gems from extinction. Back in 2021, they managed to save a century-old Lumnitzera littorea plant by shouldering more than 4 tonnes of nutrition soil to its roots.

Thanks to the efforts of these researchers, the success rate of artificial breeding of Lumnitzera littorea had been substantially improved. To date, a total of 10,000 seedlings had been successfully bred, and over 2,000 plants were transplanted at Tielu port mangrove nature reserve.