Traditional management of ancient Pu'er teagardens in Jingmai Mountains in Yunnan of China, a designated Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems site

Traditional management practices in the ancient tea gardens of Pu'er, China, significantly enhance biodiversity and productivity compared to monoculture systems. The study found that these gardens, designated as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), exhibit higher biodiversity indices (Shannon-Weiner, Pielou, Margalef) and greater annual gross output—approximately 6.5 times that of monoculture tea gardens. Local management techniques, including weeding, pruning, and pest control through diseased branch removal, along with the protection of forest animals like spiders, birds, and bees, contribute to this ecological richness. The research, based on interviews with 93 local people and field surveys from 2021–2022, highlights the importance of traditional knowledge in sustaining tea agroecosystems.

Li, W., Zhang, Q., Fan, Y., Cheng, Z., Lu, X., Luo, B., & Long, C. (2023). Traditional management of ancient Pu’er teagardens in Jingmai Mountains in Yunnan of China, a designated Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems site. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-023-00598-0