In 1st July 2017, Yanshan District of Guilin, Guangxi,
China, was hit
by the terrible and severe storms, said to be the worst in recent years.
The
heavy rainfall process started since noon at 1st July, then
increased so much at midnight (after 0: 00 2nd July). It eventually
formed the worst flooding at Guilin
Botanical Garden in recent
years. The torrential flood fell along the slope near to the conservation
nursery of GCCC, then directly hit the nursery. Because the flood was formed at
midnight, the staffs of Guilin
Botanical Garden and GCCC
were not there in time, and the weather conditions (the very heavy rain) was
extremely bad at that time, it caused irretrievable losses. Almost all of
latest propagation materials (including leaf-cuttings, seedlings and hybrids)
were nearly lost; those introduced New World Gesneriaceae ornamental varieties
and species (including Achimenes, Sinningia, Smithiantha, Kohleria, Eucodonia, and so on) from U.S.A.,
Canada, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong of China, etc., were nearly destroyed and mixed in this flood. According to
not complete count, we lost nearly 190 species of different genera
(Fortunately, we keep those species indoor), almost 17000 pots and plants, the direct
or indirect economic loss is more than RMB 100, 000 Yuan ($14, 570) (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1
The Conservation Nursery of GCCC after flood
The
economic loss caused by the super heavy rain and terrible flood is enormous.
However, it also reminds us that we need to think over the appropriate flood
precautions when the conservation nursery will be rebuilt in the near future.
Let us do it better and better, start again and refresh!
All
following photos are from staffs of Guangxi Institute of Botany. Please advise
if any infringement, it will be withdrawn and changed.
