Birder boosts protections in Beijing

What began as an uncertain exploration transformed into a calling, one that has helped him glimpse into the wild side of one of the world's largest megacities and fall in love with it. As Senegalese conservationist Baba Dioum says: "In the end, everyone wants to protect what they love. But they can only love what they know."

Townshend's love led him to establish Wild Beijing, a website dedicated to celebrating the capital city's wildlife and connecting more people to nature. Beginning as a birding blog, the website grew into an ode to urban biodiversity. During his unemployment period, he spent months traveling across the country, including Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. "I was shocked to see how much wildlife there was," he recalls.