It was in last December when Isaac Cohen, a Colombian biology teacher, who taught at Shenzhen International Foundation Collage (SIFC), visited Guangdong Neilingding Futian National Nature Reserve with Shenzhen Daily for the first time. He explored along a plank road by a lush mangrove forest, took a deep breath of misty clear air and suddenly his lens focused on a black-capped kingfisher, a rarely seen resident bird of the city.

“You will never imagine there is a place like this in the city of Shenzhen,” Cohen said. “I am astonished by the whole environment of this place and the level of protection it has. I am also happy about finding the kingfisher which is a bird that I have never seen in other places before.”

The 9.22-square kilometer reserve, consisting of Neilingding Island and the Futian Mangrove Wetland area, was built in 1984 and named as a national nature reserve in 1988. It is the smallest national nature reserve in China and the country’s only pristine mangrove wetland ecosystem located in a city center. It provides a favorable habitat for protected animal species such as the Eurasian otter and leopard cat, and serves as an important stopover and wintering ground for migratory birds which come to Shenzhen from the north along the East Asian-Australasian flyway.

Cohen came to Shenzhen at the invitation of SIFC in the summer of 2017, basing his home in Futian and Longhua districts, respectively. The first park in Shenzhen he visited for taking wildlife photos is Central Park in Futian, and thereafter, as his understanding and interest toward the city’s local biodiversity grew continuously. He was able to explore more, coming up with his personal list of best birdwatching locations across Shenzhen, which includes Shenzhen Bay, Honghu, Donghu parks and more.

“No matter how modern and developed the city is, the sensation of being surrounded by nature is always there,” Cohen wrote in a previous article about Shenzhen’s wildlife published on a local magazine.

Cohen searches for animals with his telephoto camera in Baguang. Liu Xudong

Cohen had taught at SIFC’s Xili Campus by Dasha River in Nanshan District by the end of 2020, witnessing the construction of an ecological corridor along the river and the thriving of over 60 bird species, four turtle species, three snake species and three frog species.

“The Dasha River Ecological Corridor is one of the most beautiful projects in the city,” Cohen told Shenzhen Daily. “It’s a haven for a lot of species, creating a very complex network.”

His understanding towards the endeavors Shenzhen has made to balance its social development and ecological conservation has deepened after getting in touch with some ancient silver leaf trees at the Shenzhen Silver Leaf Tree Wetland Park in Dapeng New Area this April.

“It is a really nice to be able to find nature that is so old in a big city like Shenzhen,” Cohen said while observing the trees. “You just imagine that everything is just cut down or disappear because of the city’s expansion. But the nature here is actually very well-preserved with those ancient trees around.”

“Shenzhen is definitely a fascinating city where you can find absolutely anything that you want to find,” he concluded. “You are surrounded by mountains, trees and so much wildlife. And just five or 10 minutes away from the CBD, you can find parks, mountains and other places to visit.”