DKU professor wins 2025 National Geographic Wayfinder Award
The National Geographic Society has named Binbin Li, a tenured associate professor of environmental science at Duke Kunshan University, as one of 15 newly selected National Geographic Explorers and a recipient of the 2025 Wayfinder Award.
The award, announced on June 5, recognizes trailblazers in science, conservation, education, technology and storytelling. Li, who also holds a secondary appointment with the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, is the only China-based awardee this year and one of only a few Chinese scientists ever to receive the distinction.
“This isn’t just a personal honor,” Li said. “It’s a sign that conservation work in China—especially efforts rooted in local communities—is being seen and valued globally.”
She’ll be formally honored at the National Geographic Explorers Festival in Washington, D.C., from June 9–13, 2025.
Wayfinder provides not just recognition but funding, supporting recipients in turning bold ideas into action. Li is considering using the backing to scale her “forest tea” initiative in Yunnan, a project that blends biodiversity protection with cultural preservation and economic development.
“They’re not just awarding what we’ve done,” she said. “They’re investing in what we’re building.”
From bird collisions to global benchmarks
Li’s research spans conservation planning, endangered species protection, sustainable infrastructure, and biodiversity-friendly food systems, particularly in China’s ecological hotspots.
In 2018, she and her students launched a survey to track bird collisions on DKU’s glass buildings. What started as a campus initiative quickly grew into a nationwide citizen science network, eventually becoming a global model cited alongside Texas Lights Out and Canada’s FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program), both of which aim to prevent bird-building collisions.
She also founded DKU’s “Biodiversity-Friendly Campus” program, which was selected for China’s national pilot on campus biodiversity protection and fundraising. Through citizen science, the project engages students, faculty and alumni in monitoring and restoring local ecosystems.
Her team is now working to designate the DKU campus as an “Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measure,” or OECM—an emerging international designation for sites that achieve effective conservation outcomes outside formal protected areas. If successful, DKU would become part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework “30 by 30” target, which aims to protect 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030.
Conservation rooted in community
Li’s influence extends far beyond the university. In Yunnan, her “forest tea” project encourages local communities to plant native trees in the terrace tea region—restoring forests while boosting livelihoods.
In southern Yunnan, forest tea gardens still exist where tea is grown beneath largely intact forest canopies. These agroforestry systems, some more than a century old, support both biodiversity and tea cultivation.
“Our research shows a clear link between forest biodiversity and tea quality,” she said. “By planting native trees and managing tea plantations more sustainably, we can restore forests, expand wildlife habitats, and raise tea quality—all at once. This model could reshape how tea is grown and how the industry defines sustainability.”
In Sichuan’s Giant Panda National Park, her team studied the ecological impact of grazing and shared data that shaped livestock management policies in protected areas, including in Wanglang Nature Reserve, one of the earliest panda reserves in China and now part of the Giant Panda Nationa Park.
“At first, local residents were hesitant,” she said. “But after building trust, some even volunteered to wear tracking collars on their cattle to help manage them more effectively.”
China’s local solutions, global relevance
For Li, China’s on-the-ground conservation work isn’t just local—it’s globally significant.
“Community-driven, culturally informed approaches like ours can help fill the gaps in standardized global solutions,” she said.
She’s also sounding the alarm on what’s at stake.
“Solving the environmental crisis isn’t just about science — it’s about how we choose to develop,” she said. “As we race for economic growth, the loss of nature and biodiversity is creating the greatest uncertainty for our future. If we keep ignoring it, we won’t be able to plan for what comes next.”
A path shaped by curiosity
Li’s journey began with childhood hikes.
“I never took the stairs—I always chose the wild, unpaved paths,” she recalled. “That sense of curiosity led me here.”
During her undergraduate years, she drew inspiration from Chinese conservationist Lü Zhi and renowned American botanist Peter Raven, both of whom encouraged her to pursue conservation biology, even when some dismissed the field as impractical or unsuited for women.
“Professor Raven told me women were doing incredible work in conservation and urged me to reach out to global labs,” she said. “He was right.”
Solving problems, not just spotting them
To the next generation of changemakers, Li offers this advice:
“It’s easy to find problems,” she said. “The hard part is bringing people together to solve them—aligning interests, building trust and creating lasting change.”
She also emphasized that you don’t need an environmental science degree to make an impact.
“Whether you study data science, engineering or the humanities—if you care, your skills matter.”
Li sees the Wayfinder Award not as a capstone, but as a launchpad.
“China’s grassroots environmental work has so much to offer the world,” she said. “This is a chance to share those lessons—and rethink how we live alongside nature.”
