Near-Natural Restoration of Monoculture Tea Plantations in the Six Ancient Tea Mountains

Anle Village, located in Xiangming Yi Ethnic Township, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, sits on Mangzhi Tea Mountain — one of the six ancient tea mountains of Pu’er tea. During the Qing Dynasty, this area was an important production site for imperial tribute tea. It is also a suitable habitat for the endangered slow loris, a national first-class protected species. Establishing ecological corridors in this region helps connect fragmented habitats, allowing slow lorises and other animals to migrate freely.

This project aims to promote best practices in tea plantation management and biodiversity conservation, connecting fragmented habitats through the creation of ecological corridors that enable animal movement. It also seeks to build a shared-benefit platform to attract cross-sector resources in support of Anle Village’s sustainable development. Notably, local tea farmer Mr. Chai Zhonghong has voluntarily contributed 2,000 mu (approximately 133 hectares) of land for Good to Nature to carry out ecological restoration—laying a strong foundation for the project.

The project is a joint initiative between Good to Nature and the Restoration Ecology Research Group of the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, adopting a closed-loop model of “Scientific Restoration – Community Co-benefit – Social Participation.” This framework establishes a long-term mechanism that promotes mutual reinforcement between ecological protection and rural revitalization.

The project explores scientifically informed tea plantation management models that aim to improve both the yield and quality of tea while restoring biodiversity, seeking the optimal balance between agricultural productivity and ecological integrity.

Experiment 1: Tea Quality and Ecological Environment. Samples are collected from three types of habitats—monoculture tea plantations, 50% primary forest, and 90% primary forest—to analyze and reveal the correlation between tea quality and ecological environment.

Experiment 2: Tea Plantation Transformation. A small-scale transplanting experiment moves tea plants from monoculture plots into primary forest environments, while reintroducing climax tree species native to monsoon evergreen broadleaf forests into the monoculture areas. This step further validates the results of Experiment 1 and examines whether habitat change directly influences tea quality.

Experiment 3: Tea Tree Age and Tea Quality. Samples from tea trees of various ages are collected and analyzed to quantitatively study the relationship between tree age and tea quality, providing a scientific foundation for sustainable tea cultivation practices.