Exploring the plateau and its rivers and mountains, the source of rivers that nourish East Asian wisdom: the Tibetan Plateau, known as the “Roof of the World” and the “Third Pole”, is an important ecological security barrier for China and a key protected area of distinctive Chinese cultures. To promote sustainable development of the plateau, ecological civilization, the protection and transmission of ethnic cultures and global environmental protection, and to carry out Topic 2 of Task 5 (Conservation and sustainable use of plateau plant diversity) of the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research — specifically the sub-project on the ethnobotanical survey and assessment of wild economic plant resources — six members of the biodiversity-related traditional knowledge survey team of the Kunming Institute of Botany, Ding Xiaoyong, Feng Haowen, Li Jing, Lin Lei, Wang Jin and Yang Huizhao, surveyed biodiversity and ethnobotany on the plateau in Sichuan and Tibet from 20 June to 2 August 2022. After three days of travel along the Dali–Lijiang expressway, the Deqin–Weixi road and National Highway 318, the team reached the survey area and began its work.

The 45-day expedition covered some 10,000 km and thirteen counties in five prefecture-level cities of the expedition area, plus five counties in Garzê Prefecture, Sichuan. Its main task was the ethnobotanical survey and assessment of wild economic plants on the plateau: using ethnobotanical methods and plot sampling, it investigated plant diversity in farmland and traditionally used plants, plants used for Tibetan incense, dye plants and traditional knowledge of highland barley cultivation, documenting the knowledge and practices of Tibetan communities in using and protecting plants, so as to promote the sustainable use of plant resources, biodiversity conservation and the protection of traditional knowledge and fair sharing of the benefits of its use.

A: Stellera chamaejasme B: Ajania tenuifolia C: Paris polyphylla

D: Dracocephalum tanguticum E: Rheum palmatum F–G: Meconopsis integrifolia

The team interviewed 162 people and collected more than 300 research specimens, 72 plots and more than 1,000 photographs, providing a solid scientific basis for the conservation and sustainable use of plateau plant diversity, with important implications for sustainable development of the plateau, ecological civilization, global environmental protection and the improvement of material and cultural life in Tibet.

H–K: Interviews during the expedition

The secrets of the Third Pole lie behind many natural barriers. Bearing in mind the instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and carrying forward the “Old Tibet spirit” and the “spirit of the two roads”, the team members braved cold and lack of oxygen and worked with energy and discipline to explore the mysteries of the Third Pole from multiple disciplines and perspectives. Inspired by the older generation of scientists, they overcame altitude sickness, unfamiliar conditions and heavy workloads, climbing peaks, crossing valleys and rivers and leaving their footprints across the western Sichuan plateau. Working independently or together, they diligently completed ethnobotanical interviews, specimen collection and plot surveys. The success of the expedition depended on the dedication of every team member, on help from local residents that cannot be measured in money, and on the support of governments at all levels and colleagues.

L–Q: Collecting specimens and surveying plots during the expedition

We are but mayflies between heaven and earth, a grain in the vast sea. The Earth is vast and diverse, and human survival, culture and freedom depend on all living things on it; humankind, a brief fragment in Earth's history, is the most exploratory species, eager to understand the laws of nature. Seeking the key of time and space and climbing the stairway to the sky, the team devoted their youth to scientific exploration, extending the boundaries of human knowledge inch by inch, and turned what they saw and thought amid natural wonders and rich cultures into a love for the country and passion for research.

The “code of the Tibetan Plateau” still awaits exploration; we hope our modest efforts will help reveal the secrets of the Third Pole and contribute to the nation.

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