Where culture merges with conservation: indigenous wisdom preserving Jingmai’s ancient tea forests and heritage trees

The Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest Cultural Landscape, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, exemplifies sustainable human–nature coexistence through the indigenous practices of ethnic minorities, particularly the Blang, who venerate the Tea Ancestor (Pa Ai Leng). This cultural keystone integrates spiritual beliefs with ecological stewardship, preserving ancient tea forests and sacred village trees that sustain biodiversity, enhance carbon sequestration, and foster cultural continuity. These traditions face mounting threats from tourism-induced soil compaction, climate-driven pest increases, and cultural erosion due to modernization. This Perspectives Paper explores how indigenous knowledge safeguards Jingmai’s tea forests and village trees, analyzes their ecological and cultural contributions, and proposes integrated conservation strategies—blending eco-cultural tourism, environmental education, scientific monitoring, and community-driven economic initiatives—to address these challenges. Jingmai’s model highlights the global relevance of indigenous wisdom in sustaining intertwined natural and cultural heritage. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.