A report fromJiangxi International Communication Center (JXICC): At the end of 2025, when reflecting on the most meaningful part of the year, the Austrian silviculturist and ecologist Alfred Pitterle-now in his late seventies, and a recipient of the Chinese Government Friendship Award-spoke not of any honor or research outcome, but of his time teaching on a Chinese campus. At the podium of Jiangxi Normal University, this elder who has spent a lifetime understanding nature found a new way to sow the seeds of a sustainable future.
This year, we had the privilege of interviewing the respected scholar and hearing his green story.
A Mind Shaped by Nature
Whenever he speaks of nature, a gentleness softens his eyes, like a mountain breeze brushing through treetops, carrying him back to his childhood.
Pitterle grew up in Salzburg, an Austrian state known for its stretching mountains and dense forests. These forests not only play a crucial role in soil and water conservation-protecting residential areas from disasters such as avalanches, floods, falling rocks, and landslides-but also underpin the local economy through tourism, timber production, and wood-processing industries.
“Because we live in nature and depend on it for our survival, we should learn to coexist with it.” The childhood experience was a source of enlightenment for Pitterle. It was in this soil of reverence and intimacy that a seed was sown: a deep longing to understand nature's language-be it a gentle whisper or a stern warning.
The seed, however, has never withered over time. Quietly, it took root and grew within him, ultimately guiding him toward a clear path in the study of forestry. In 1987, Pitterle earned his doctorate in Silviculture from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, where he subsequently dedicated himself to teaching, research, and international academic exchange. Even after retiring from the university, he has continued to devote himself tirelessly to scientific collaboration and research.
The childhood memories slowly unfurled like a map that led him through a lifetime of understanding nature. Pitterle believes that as the map expands, it will lead him to serendipitous encounters and resonances that touch the soul.
A Shared Language of Green
In Pitterle's journey of exploring nature, China has been a place of singular significance. “The Chinese people have always held a deep, philosophical affection for nature,” he observes. This Eastern wisdom-particularly the vision that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”-echoed the reverence and kinship he had felt toward the natural world since childhood, granting him a clearer lens through which he could view China's path of development.
Diplomatic relations between China and Austria were officially established in 1971. Seven years later, Alfred Pitterle participated as an Austrian expert in a tree seed exchange project between China and Austria. This marked the beginning of his profound connection with China in both personal and professional terms, a bond that has now spanned four decades. During these years, he has been actively involved in China's ecological civilization development, supporting the nation's green growth with professional dedication. One such endeavor is the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, which he admiringly calls a green miracle. His footsteps have traversed extensive parts of the country, and he has personally taken part in and witnessed this ongoing ecological progress.
Years of hands-on involvement have given Pitterle a profound understanding of China's ecological landscape. He firmly believes that ecology transcends national boundaries, and that China's unique, diverse, and complex forests are vital to global ecological security. For this reason, he has frequently traveled between Austria and China, bringing European forestry management practices and adapting them to the lush landscapes of China.
In 1996, as a technical expert for the Sino-German Financial Cooperation Afforestation Project, Pitterle provided on-site support in Jiangxi, including sites such as Yongxiu County. He assisted with work including tree species selection and spatial planning, playing a key role in enhancing both the ecological and socioeconomic benefits of the project.
In April of this year, when Pitterle returned to Meitang Town, Yongxiu County-a site of the Sino-German Financial Cooperation Afforestation Project in Jiangxi-an elderly local resident learned that the technical expert in front of him was in fact one of those who had helped villagers plant trees years ago. The old man clasped Pitterle's hand and said in a thick local accent, “This forest has given us hope. Every tree we planted back then now brings in ten yuan a year…”
They did not share a common language. Yet as the two elders walked side by side through the woods, with sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the ground, words seemed unnecessary. Silently, the trees kept growing-and so did the understanding and friendship across nations, taking root in the soil beneath their feet.
A Cultivator of Ecological Consciousness
Afforestation may beautify the planet, but Pitterle believes what matters even more is to foster ecological awareness throughout society. Only then will the green endure. What matters to him is not the solutions, but what they leave behind. Hence, he would rather see himself as a cultivator of ecological consciousness.
Since 2024, Pitterle has served as a distinguished professor at Jiangxi Normal University, teaching graduate students in the School of Geography and Environment. In his classroom, rigid frameworks have given way to real-world examples which show how the global ecosystem is interconnected. Students find themselves drawn in. Among them is Wu Zihan, a master's student in Physical Geography of the 2024 intake.
“In Professor Pitterle's class, forests are no longer just distant scenery. They become living networks, connecting people to nature and regions to regions,” recalled Wu Zihan. He noted that when lecturing on the global pattern of forest conservation, Pitterle was never confined to European examples. Instead, he adopted a global perspective, weaving together the governance wisdom of different nations. That kind of cross-territory dialogue, he said, “has made the knowledge come alive.”
“He highlighted the role of China in global forest preservation in particular,” Wu added. “China's practices-protecting natural forests and returning farmland to woodland-have long been studied and discussed internationally as exemplary models.”
Pitterle's global outlook has profoundly influenced younger researchers. Yang Wenjing, an associate researcher at the School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, serves as the liaison between the university and Pitterle. Her main role is to assist him in organizing materials related to scientific collaboration and international exchanges. She said, “Professor Pitterle is a scholar of remarkable purity. He believes that to tackle global ecological challenges, we must transcend disciplinary and geographical boundaries, deepening our understanding of natural systems so as to galvanize action.”
Influenced by Professor Pitterle, Yang now places greater emphasis on the societal value of her work, rather than merely focusing on publishing papers. “My research perspective has broadened,” Yang remarked. “For instance, when studying Poyang Lake, we don't just map its boundaries. We try to understand how it connects with the entire watershed.”
Pitterle's story shows how deep connections can be forged across green landscapes. These connections are not only between humanity and nature, but also reflect a shared understanding between civilizations pursuing the same path toward sustainability.
On this year's Arbor Day, Pitterle planted a sapling at Jiangxi Normal University. Its roots gripped the soil, while its branches reached for the sky. One day, as young students pass by the tree, they may pause beneath its shade. In that moment, they may recall the old man who came from afar, and how he taught them to understand nature.
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SOURCE Jiangxi International Communication Center(JXICC)
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