From citizen science to sustainable grazing practices, Binbin Li’s work highlights how community and conservation can thrive side by side.
Environmental scientist Binbin Li has been named a 2026 Rolex Laureate, joining a vast global network of researchers and explorers working to safeguard the planet’s future. As an associate professor at Duke Kunshan University with a secondary appointment at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, Li’s work helps to bridge biodiversity conservation and sustainable development at a time when climate change is reshaping ecosystems worldwide.
Li’s research focuses on finding solutions that benefit both people and nature. From conservation planning and sustainable infrastructure to protecting endangered species and studying bird collisions in urban areas, Li’s work examines how ecological systems and human societies can coexist more sustainably. But there is one species that lies at the heart of her latest efforts: the giant panda.
Fewer than 2,000 giant pandas remain in the wild, inhabiting the bamboo forests of central China’s mountainous landscapes. However, these same regions are increasingly being inhabited by free-range livestock. Li’s goals are to work with local communities to develop more sustainable grazing practices that allow farmers to maintain their livelihoods while protecting the pandas’ habitats.
The Rolex Award will help Li expand these solutions across several mountain ranges in China, increasing community-driven conservation projects that help balance economic development with ecological protection.
Li’s work expands well beyond field research. Li founded the China Anti-Bird Collision Action Alliance, China’s largest citizen science initiative, helping to address the impacts of urban environments on bird populations. Li also serves as editor-in-chief of Integrative Conservation and co-chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Protected Planet Specialist Group, while continuing to advocate for science dialogue and nature education. In 2022, Li was named Nature Photographer of the Year in the Chinese National Geography Wildlife Image and Video Competition, showcasing her commitment to storytelling as a tool for conservation.
Li’s recent recognition comes through the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, which was launched in 2019 to support scientists, explorers and innovators who are all working towards protecting the Earth’s many ecosystems. The initiative builds on nearly a century of Rolex’s involvement in exploration, expanding on an existing legacy towards environmental protection and sustainable solutions.
Today, there are 165 Rolex Awards Laureates and more than 30 partners, showcasing projects focused on oceans, landscapes, and advances in science, technology and health. Through this growing network, researchers like Li are advancing in new ways to help protect biodiversity, all the while making sure communities can thrive alongside.
For Li, the goal is clear: a future where conservation and human development flourish together.
Homepage image by Alamy, inside image by Jingnan Wang.
