Mt
Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve
t
Fanjingshan stands high above sea level in
border areas of three Guizhou Counties: Jiangkou,
Yinjiang and Songtao in Tongren Prefecture.
As the main part of Mt Wuyishan, Mt Mt Fanjingshan
covers an area of 567 sq km and its highest
point called Golden Summit (jinding in Chinese),
reaches an elevation of 2572 meters.
In 1978, it was listed as
a national nature reserve for its subtropical
forest ecosystem, and then in 1986, appointed
officially in Paris as part of the international
biosphere reserve network, approved by the
ninth planning and coordination council
meeting for UNESCO¡¯s man and the Biosphere
Program. It is a treasure house of various
kinds of animals and plants. There exist
more than 2000 plants including 1000 advanced
plants and about 382 kinds of animals in
this mountainous area, including some 14
rare species of great value for scientific
research, such as the Guizhou Golden Monkey
and the ornamental tree gongtong or the
Dove tree (Davidia Inoolucoata), the Chinese
tulip tree, the Crape myrtle, the Chinese
hemlock and the ormosia. In addition, 500
kinds of medicinal herbs have been found,
including Rhizoma Gastrodiae(Tianma), Cortex
Eucommiae (Duzhong), and Cortex Phellodendri
(Huangbai), as well as over 100 kinds of
large foungi. Mt Fanjingshan in one of the
4 Buddhist holy lands with lots of historic
and cultural relics, which wait to be explored.
Maolan
karst Virgin Forest National Nature Reserve
t
is one of the five national nature reserves
of the province. It lies in Libo County in
the Buyei & Miao Autonomous Prefecture
of South Guizhou and covers an area of 20000
hectare As a surviving subtropical original
ancient plant kingdom, it is a rarely-seen
karst virgin forest in the subtropical zone
along the same latitude around the earth,
and characterized by its wildness, peculiarity
and beauty. Mountains, waters, caves and forests.
The unique hydrologic effect is worth probing
into. The natural vegetation remains lush
and thriving and there are plants that have
survived from a very early period, retaining
characteristics of plants and trees that are
now extinct.
Caohai
National Nature Reserve
ying
in Weining Yi Autonomous County and covering
a area of 12,000 hectares, Caohai Lake was
set up as a reserve in 1985 by Guizhou Provincial
Government, and then a national one in 1992.
The main task is to protect black-neck cranes
and the wetland eco-system. Caohai Lake is
the largest one on Guizhou plateau, covering
an area of 3,000 hectares. Rich aquatic plants
and animals and mild weather provides birds
with an excellent habitat. Besides, a lot
of fossils and human cultural remains are
founded here. It is valuable to protect this
wetland for the black-neck cranes and its
wetland.
Chishui
National Nature Reserve of Spinulose Tree
Fern
his
reserve extends over 32 kilometers and is
the first protected area of its kind in China,
gaining its present status in 1984 for its
exotic spinulose tree ferns, a living fossil
of the Jurassic Period full of ancient plants
and dinosaurs. Situated in Chishui County
and covering an area of 13300 hectares, the
virgin forest is one of the earliest national
reserves of ¡°spinulose tree ferns¡± with
its ecosystem. It is surrounded by the 10000
hectare virgin forest which provides the fern
forest with the conditions necessary for survival
of liberal humidity and shade. Since the natural
virgin forest, a dense and heavily wooded
area is off the beaten track, animals and
plants thrive in great numbers and varieties.
The ecosystem is well balanced and the natural
food chain is healthily maintained. A lot
of rare and endangered animals, reptiles,
amphibians and insects are seen here, and
it was, therefore, listed in 1992 as one of
the five national nature reserves in the province.
Xishui
National Reserve of Ever-Green Arbor Forest
overing
a land area of 48,666 hectares, Xishui National
Reserve of Ever-Green Forest is located in
Xishui County, set up in 1992 by the government
to Xishui county, and recognized as a national
one in 1994. Xishui lies in the transitional
area from Guizhou plateau to Sichun Basin
with a warm and humid subtropical weather,
isolated geographically and rarely inhabited.
So a large area of evergreen trees has been
thriving here and well protected. Green coverage
reaches 89.6% with about 1500 species of lives
including a doen rare plants, such as gongtong
trees, spinulose tree fern and Fujian cypress,
and 27 rare animas including spotted leopards,
rhesus monkeys and pangolin. New species are
found here occasionally.
