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Mt. Gaoligong
 In northwestern Yunnan, three rivers - the Yangtze, the
Mekong, and the Salween - cut through deep valleys of the eastern
Himalayas, forming one of the greatest natural gardens in the world,
in terms of both biodiversity and cultural diversity. This trip will
take you to the Gaoligon Mountain range along the Salween River
(Nujiang, in Chinese), the major Southeast Asian waterway that exits
China into Myanmar and then into the Andaman Sea. In this region, 485
species birds have been identified, accounting for 60% of the total
species recorded in Yunnan. Pheasants and Laughing Thrush (Garrulax)
are especially prevalent in this region, though many other species can
also be found, including Slater's Monal Pheasant (Lophophorus
sclateri), Pheasant Grouse (Tetraophasis obscurus), White-eared
Pheasant (Crossoptilon), Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis),
Derby's Parakeet (Psittacula derbiana) and Yunnan Nuthatch (Sitta
yunnanensis). We will be traveling mostly by private vehicle, making
frequent stops for short walks in the forests to observe birds for
hours at a time. The Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve is a
national forest and wildlife type nature reserve, aiming at the
protection of natural landscape of biological and climate vertical
belts, various types of vegetation, rare and endangered species of
plants and animals. The Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve
lies between 24.56-26.09 North Latitude and 98.34-98.50 east
Longitude, in the central south section of the Gaoligong Mountains,
occupying the upper parts higher than 2000m above sea level. The
Northern part of the Mountains is linked with Shubolaling Mountains in
Tibet.
The Gaoligong Mountains are located at the linking
point among China, Indian sub-continent and China-Indian Peninsula.
The high peaks and deep valleys of the Mountains have created in this
mountains area the three different coimate zones, namely, subtropical,
temperate and cold temperate. The natural environment is characterized
by the gradual change and transition from west to east and from south
to north. The fauna and folra contain the species indigenous to the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China-Indian Peninsula and also the Gaoligong
Mountains, thus forming a complex fauna and flora pattern with both
new and ancient types and a feature of transition from south to north.
Archive of wild animals in Gaoligong Mountain: Mammals:
115 species, is about 19.8% of total species
Birds: 343 species, is about 59.0% of total species
Amphibian: 28 species, is about 4.8% of total species
Reptiles: 48 species, is about 8.3% of total species
Fishes: 47 species, is about 8.1% of total species |
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