Let's go! See China's five major national parks

October 12, 2021

At the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity

The 15th session of the CBD (COP15)

The Chinese government officially established

Wuyishan National Park

Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park

Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park

Giant Panda National Park

Three Rivers National Park

The first five national parks in China

(Distribution diagram of the first batch of national parks, drawn by @陈志浩&龙雁玲/Planet Research Institute)

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From the western plateau to the southeastern hills

From the snowfields of Northeast China to the island rainforests

Here is shelter

More than 30% of China’s wildlife species

It is the most beautiful, natural and diverse

230,000 square kilometers

(Please watch horizontally, the first batch of natural landscapes of China's national parks, map by @龙雁羽/Planet Research Institute)

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On such a vast land

What kind of wonders are hidden?

Next Steps

Let's sort by area size

check it out

Wuyishan National Park

Located at the border of Fujian and Jiangxi provinces

It is the smallest of the five national parks.

The only one

World Cultural and Natural Heritage

(Sketch of the Wuyishan National Park, drawn by @陈志浩&龙雁玲/Planet Research Institute)

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The Wuyi Mountains where the park is located

Like a natural barrier

The water vapor brought by the monsoon is blocked and lifted

This results in heavy rainfall

Annual precipitation can reach 2000mm

It is one of the regions with the most abundant rainfall in China.

(Water vapor from the ocean gathers in the Wuyi Mountain Canyon, photographer @黄海)

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Carved by millions of years of wind and rain

The outer rock mass of Wuyi Mountain is gradually weathering and peeling off

Exposing red sandstone rich in iron ions

Presenting a forest of peaks

Danxia landform

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Jiuqu River meanders between the Danxia peaks, photographer @张豫兴)

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Not only that

The precipitation also gave birth to the most representative

Subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest

The area can reach 956 square kilometers

It is the largest in the world at the same latitude.

Subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest ecosystem

(The stream in the national park is flowing, photographer @黄海)

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Lush forest

It has given rise to an unusually diverse array of organisms

Over the past 150 years

More than 1,000 new species have been discovered.

Many of the new species are named after this place.

Rhododendron wuyiensis, Berberis wuyiensis, Acer wuyiensis

Chong'an mustache [zī] toad, Chong'an grass lizard, Chong'an oblique-scaled snake

…

(Chong'an Bearded Toad; Wuyishan City was formerly Chong'an County, where the Chong'an Bearded Toad was discovered. The male toad has a black cone-shaped horn thorn on each side of the upper lip near the corner of the mouth. The female bearded toad does not have this feature, but has orange-red spots on the corresponding parts. Readers can guess the gender of the bearded toad in the picture below. The photographer is @王聿凡)

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also

Wuyi Mountain is also the hometown of oolong tea and black tea.

The famous "Da Hong Pao" and "Zhenshan Xiaozhong"

From here to the world

(Tea garden in Wuyi Mountain area, photographer @黄恒日)

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Today, Wuyishan National Park

While carefully caring for the original tea garden

The development of new tea gardens has also been strictly restricted.

Just to better protect this precious

Clear Water and Red Mountain

Located in Hainan Island

Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park

The area is four times that of Wuyishan National Park

It occupies 1/7 of Hainan Island

It also covers the main mountains and rivers of the island.

(Sketch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, drawn by @陈志浩&龙雁玲/Planetary Research Institute)

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Wuzhi Mountain, Diaoluo Mountain, Limu Mountain

Jianfengling, Bawangling, Yinggeling

Mountains are connected in pieces, with peaks upon peaks

Nandu River, Changhua River, Wanquan River

The source leads to the sea

(Please watch in horizontal screen, Wuzhi Mountain, located in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, is also the highest peak in the entire Hainan Island, photographer @孟志军)

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Warm and humid hydrothermal conditions in the park

It is home to more than 95% of the island’s virgin forests.

And China's largest contiguous tropical rainforest

(The interior of the tropical rainforest is full of vitality, photographer @卢刚)

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Deep in the jungle

Living across the country

11% of vascular plants

20% amphibians, 33% reptiles

39% birds, 20% mammals

Its biodiversity index is comparable to that of the Amazon rainforest.

It is the place with the most densely populated biological species in China.

(The various animals in the park are: Eld’s deer, photographer @顾晓军; Beautiful spiny lizard, photographer @顾晓军; Dark green white-eye bird, photographer @刘璐)

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in

Hainan Gibbon

It is one of the rarest animals in China.

It was once widely distributed in southern China.

Nowadays, under the influence of human activities

Only about 35 left

This is their last safe haven.

(The hair color of male and female Hainan gibbons is very different. Adult males have black hair, while females have golden hair. Photographer: @王聿凡)

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Long arms, small body

Keeping gibbons high in the rainforest

Also able to handle with ease

Rarely leave the tree for activities throughout life

In order to protect the remaining Hainan gibbons

People planted native plants that they liked to eat

An ecological rope bridge is laid between tree canopies that are more than ten meters high.

Carefully protect these magical rainforest elves

(The high-altitude rope bridge is usually more than ten meters high and is usually laid by staff climbing to the treetops by hand. This is to ensure smooth communication between different Hainan gibbon populations to maintain a healthy population status. The animated picture comes from @Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden)

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that's all

Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park

Sheltering the known

And all kinds of wonderful creatures that we have not yet discovered

It is a landmark ship in China's biological protection

Rainforest Ark

Larger area

Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park

Almost as big as Beijing

It is located at the junction of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces.

It is adjacent to Russia and North Korea.

(Sketch of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, drawn by @陈志浩&龙雁玲/Planet Research Institute)

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Laoyeling, a branch of Changbai Mountain

Here the peaks compete for beauty

Ravines and gullies

(Please watch it in horizontal mode. Laoyeling is particularly tall and beautiful after the snow. Photographer: @齐双)

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The flourishing

Temperate coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest ecosystem

It is home to many creatures

(A sable foraging in the snow, photographer @NoOneXiaodong)

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More than 400 species of birds and animals live here

The park has formed a complete

Forest ecosystem food chain

(A Steller's sea eagle and a white-tailed sea eagle fighting for food on the ice. Both are first-class protected animals in my country. Photographer: @常建儒)

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The most notable species is

Siberian Tiger

It can be more than 3 meters long

Weight up to about 350 kg

It is the largest cat species currently

It is also the top predator in the forest ecosystem.

Maintaining the balance of the local ecosystem

Plays a key role

now

All of China's 50-odd wild Siberian tigers

Live here

(A Siberian tiger in a Siberian tiger breeding base. In addition to protecting wild Siberian tigers, my country is also actively carrying out the work of rewilding captive Siberian tigers. Photographer: @王智超)

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Establishment of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park

Not only will the Siberian tigers in China be better protected

At the same time, it promoted the cross-border protection of the Siberian tiger

In the past, due to domestic hunting and over-logging,

The Siberian tigers in the Northeast were once forced to flee abroad

Now this piece of forest and snow

Be prepared

Welcome the return of many kings

The Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park is larger than

Giant Panda National Park

Spanning Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces

Involving 12 cities (states), 30 counties (districts)

(Sketch of the Giant Panda National Park, drawn by @陈志浩&龙雁玲/Planet Research Institute)

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In the long geological years

Plates collide, the earth is torn apart

Formed in the park

Mountains, canyons, rivers, rapids, etc.

Rich landforms

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the canyon has different vegetation distributions along the height, photographer @张自荣)

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in

The Qinling Mountains stretch from east to west

Minshan Mountain, Qionglai Mountain and Xiaoxiangling Mountain run from north to south.

The complex mountains form a biological secret place

Lush mountains and quiet forests

(The claspermophyte orchid is a plant of the orchid family unique to my country. Generally, two orchids will grow on the branches when it blooms, resembling two little people walking side by side. Photographer @邹涛)

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More than two million years ago

The arrival of the Quaternary Ice Age

Caused mass extinction of species

The mountainous area where the Giant Panda National Park is located

It provides a good shelter

Many relict species have survived to this day

The most famous of these is

Giant Panda

Today, 87% of wild giant pandas in China

Living in the park

(A wild giant panda climbing a tall tree, photographer @李杰)

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The giant panda is also called

Umbrella protection seed

Because it is protected by the national park.

It's like opening an umbrella.

It also protects red pandas and Sichuan golden monkeys.

Snow leopard, clouded leopard, musk deer, takin, crested ibis

Yew, single-leaf grass, Davidia involucrata and other amazing creatures

(In order: Sichuan golden monkey, photographer @张强; red panda, photographer @冬日; Qinling antelope, photographer @李杰; green-tailed pheasant, photographer @刘璐)

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also

The establishment of the Giant Panda National Park

The 77 former nature reserves

All included

The scattered protected areas were integrated into one

Let the wildlife living here

Gene exchange on a larger scale

This is the real

National Treasure Home

The largest of the first national parks

Three Rivers National Park

High on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Larger than the other four parks combined

(Sketch of the Sanjiangyuan National Park, drawn by @陈志浩&龙雁玲/Planet Research Institute)

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Average altitude 4500 meters

Make this the world's

The highest altitude and largest area

One of the most complete natural heritage sites of alpine ecosystems

(Tibetan antelopes running between the snow-capped mountains and plateaus of the national park, photographer @姜鸿)

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Snowy mountain frost

Hundreds of billions of cubic meters of fresh water resources are frozen

Every year, about 50 billion cubic meters of fresh water flows down the plateau.

Converging into the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River

This place is therefore named "Sanjiangyuan"

These three rivers are

At least 18 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities)

5 neighboring countries and regions

Providing fresh water to over 1 billion people

It is truly worthy of the name

"China's Water Tower"

(The area of ​​water flowing through Sanjiangyuan National Park, mapped by @陈志浩&龙雁玲/Planet Research Institute)

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Although on the plateau

Here, the surprises of life are constantly unfolding

Even in the cracks of the cliffs

Plants can still bloom

Welcome the arrival of spring

(Aquilegia scabra on a cliff. It usually lives on the stone walls or rocks of high mountains in western my country. Photographer: Zou Tao)

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The most dazzling elf on the plateau

It must be the Tibetan antelope

A light and warm fleece

It is their magic weapon to adapt to the high-altitude cold environment

They were also hunted bloodily.

On the land of Hoh Xil

In order to protect these plateau elves

Some protectors even

Gave life

(In 1994, ecological conservationist Jiesang Suonandajie died heroically to protect the Tibetan antelope. The first nature reserve in Hoh Xil was named after him. The picture shows a male Tibetan antelope in Hoh Xil. One of its horns may have been broken during a fight. Photographer: @秦晖)

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With people's efforts

Currently in the National Park

The number of Tibetan antelopes has recovered to more than 70,000

The great migration of Tibetan antelopes every summer

It has become the most spectacular scenery here.

(Long picture coming, please watch it in horizontal mode, Tibetan antelopes are migrating, photographer @秦晖)

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that's all

Unique ecosystem

The unique "Chinese Water Tower"

Sanjiangyuan National Park

Became our irreplaceable part

Plateau Pure Land

1872

The world's first national park was born

Yellowstone National Park

Since then, more than 2,700 national parks have been established around the world.

Covering an area of ​​more than 4 million square kilometers

National parks have gradually become a paradigm for large-scale ecological protection

In China

In addition to the first five national parks

More national parks are being piloted.

Including Qilian Mountain, Pudacuo, Shennongjia, Nanshan, Qianjiangyuan, etc.

(Autumn scenery of Pudacuo, photographer @林森)

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The way of ecological protection

More than just national parks

We also have

474 national nature reserves

(Liaohekou National Nature Reserve in Liaoning is famous for its colorful red beach. Photographer: @王煜)

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244 national scenic spots

(Norilang Waterfall in Huanglong Temple Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, photographer @姜曦)

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39 World Geoparks

(Autumn scenery of Keketuohai National Geopark, photographer @赵高翔)

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14 World Natural Heritage Sites

(Danxia Mountain in Guangdong, along with five other representative Danxia landforms in my country, was selected as a World Natural Heritage Site under the name of "China Danxia", photographer @邱新生)

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And 4 cultural and natural heritage sites

(Two short-tailed macaques in Huangshan are nestled on a pine tree. Huangshan is one of the four world cultural and natural heritage sites in my country. Photographer: @罗铭)

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A total of more than 10,000

Nature reserves of all levels and types

It occupies 18% of China’s land area.

Covering the vast majority of China

Natural ecosystems and natural heritage resources

Guarding the various creatures that coexist with us

(Various wild animals living in the nature reserve, Tibetan fox, photographer @Bao Yongqing; bar-headed goose, photographer @Wu Wei; yellow-bellied tragopan, photographer @Feng Jiang; Himalayan marmot, photographer @Zou Tao; steppe eagle, manul, photographer @Xie Jianguo; wild yak, photographer @He Qijin; pangolin, photographer @Zhou Jiajun/Zhejiang Forest Resources Monitoring Center; Yangcai arm beetle, photographer @Wang Yufan)

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Respect for all things in nature

Achieving harmony between man and nature

“All things are born in harmony and grow in nourishment.”

It is not just the wisdom left to us by our ancestors

It is also a symbol of social progress.

National Parks

Start by protecting 230,000 square kilometers

Mission: To protect 9.6 million square kilometers

When the national park finally became

"Park Country"

Future generations will be able to continue

Listen to the roar of tigers and the cry of monkeys in the deep jungle

Enjoy the colorful flowers among the mountains and rivers

Witness the legend of life on the snowy plateau

In the future

Continue to experience the wonders of nature

This article was created by

Written by | Quasimodo by the River

Editor | Director Xu Kai

Photo | Zhou Xuguang

Design | Long Yanling

Map | Chen Zhihao

Proofreading | Zhou Tianxiu, Ding Hao, Chen Jingyi

Cover Photographers | Meng Zhijun, Ruan Kerong, Zhang Zirong, Xie Mo, Jiang Hong, Qi Shuang

Special thanks

Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration

Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Gardens

【References】

[1] Tang Fanglin. National Parks in China[M]. China Forestry Publishing House, 2021.

[2] Technical Specifications for National Park Master Plan (GB/T 39736-2020)[S]. National Forestry and Grassland Administration, 2020.

[3] Overall Plan of Sanjiangyuan National Park[S]. National Development and Reform Commission, 2018.

[4] Master Plan of Giant Panda National Park[S]. National Forestry and Grassland Administration, 2019.

[5] Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park Master Plan (2017-2025)[S]. National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Jilin Provincial People's Government, Heilongjiang People's Government, 2017.

[6] Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Master Plan (2019-2025)[S]. State Forestry and Grassland Administration (National Park Administration) Hainan Provincial People's Government, 2019.

[7] Wuyishan National Park Master Plan (2017-2025)[S]. Wuyishan National Park Administration, State Forestry and Grassland Administration, 2019.

[8] List of National Key Protected Wild Plants[S]. National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 2021.

[9] List of National Key Protected Wildlife[S]. National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 2021.

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