High life

"We found that the impact of light pollution on insects is more evident in disturbed secondary forests and plantations compared with primary forests, whereas we may need more time to measure the impact on plants," he says.

He has also begun international research projects with other scientists, including those in the Czech Republic, Thailand, Brazil and Europe, to learn how insect diversity changes with latitude and elevation and assess the impact of climate change on global insect diversity and ecosystem functions.

"Climate change is of a global scale, and everything has to be dealt with at a global scale to understand what's happening," Nakamura says. "We need to collect information about insects from all over the world. International cooperation is beneficial to biodiversity conservation."

In 2019, Nakamura won the Caiyun Award, Yunnan's highest honor for foreign experts, for his contribution to biodiversity conservation in China.

"I have seen how China has progressed in biodiversity conservation," Nakamura says, adding that the government is willing to listen to the advice of scientists and has formulated measures to safeguard biodiversity.

Last year, a herd of wild elephants that had wandered away from their traditional habitat in Yunnan was helped by forest officials to return home with minimal intervention and no severe human-animal conflict during the process.

"It was a perfect example of China's scientific biodiversity conservation and management," he says.

Nakamura noticed the swift implementation of the country's ban on wildlife trading after the COVID-19 pandemic.

"They were all gone from local markets," he says.

He also observed that the Yunnan provincial government has been trying to restore the forest by replacing rubber plantations with native trees.

"I think it's amazing to see that the government looks at not only the balance sheet but also the wellbeing of the people and other organisms living together," he says.

Thilina Sudarshana Nimalrathna has been following Nakamura in doctoral ecology studies since 2018.

"I got to know him during a training in 2017 and he was the instructor," says the Sri Lankan researcher.