Are there still virgin forests in China? Where are they mainly distributed?

The natural zones on land are mainly deserts, forests and grasslands. China's land area is about 9.6 million square kilometers, of which grasslands are mainly distributed in northern regions such as Inner Mongolia; deserts are mainly distributed in the northwest; and forests are mainly distributed in the northeast and southwest.

Arbor forests, shrub forests, bamboo forests, etc. are all forests. Forests are one of the most important ecosystems on Earth, nourishing a wide range of wild animals and plants. The Amazon rainforest, located in the Amazon Plain in South America, is known as the lungs of the Earth. Forests can usually be divided into broad-leaved forests, coniferous forests, mixed-leaved forests, rainforests, etc. In addition, there are deciduous and evergreen types, which are mainly related to altitude and latitude.

The total land area is about 149 million square kilometers. It is estimated that the total forest area in the world is now about 40 million square kilometers, which is lower than the previous global forest coverage rate of about 30%.

As the global forest coverage rate decreases year by year, my country's forest coverage rate is also increasing year by year. According to authoritative reports, my country's forest area is now about 2.2 million square kilometers, and the forest coverage rate is about 23%, but this is still not up to the global average.

Although my country's forest coverage rate has increased year by year, it is still not optimistic. About 36% of it are artificial forests, not complete forest ecosystems.

Among forests, there is a type of virgin forest that has not been destroyed by humans and exhibits unique ecological characteristics. Virgin forests have a unique ecological structure and are the habitat of many rare and endangered wild animals and plants. Once destroyed, it is basically difficult to recover. Now, most of the virgin forests in my country have been classified as forest parks or nature reserves and are protected.

According to the "Spatial Distribution Map of China's Virgin Forests" drawn by Greenpeace in 2017, the total area of ​​my country's virgin forests is about 160,000 square kilometers, which is roughly the size of Shanxi Province, accounting for about 7.5% of my country's total forest area. It is not much, and most of them are not distributed in large areas but in scattered areas.

Geographically, according to the distribution from north to south, my country's virgin forest resources are mainly distributed in Greater Khingan Range, Lesser Khingan Range, Changbai Mountain, Altai Mountain, Tianshan Mountain, Taihang Mountain, Qinling Mountain, Shennongjia, Wuyi Mountain, Eastern Himalayas, Nanling Mountain, Xishuangbanna, and the central mountainous areas of Hainan. It can be seen that my country's virgin forest resources are mainly distributed along the mountains. These areas are not suitable for agricultural production and have relatively few human activities, so they have been preserved.

From the distribution of virgin forests in various provinces, Tibet, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Sichuan and Shaanxi are ranked at the top in terms of the area of ​​virgin forests. When it comes to Inner Mongolia, many people think that it is basically grasslands, but in fact 70% of the Greater Khingan Range is located in Inner Mongolia.

The following is a brief introduction to three of my country’s more famous virgin forest distribution areas.

1. Daxinganling

The Greater Khingan Range is located in northeast my country. It is the watershed between the Inner Mongolia Plateau and the Songliao Plain. The contiguous virgin forests are mainly located in the Greater Khingan Range. The Greater Khingan Range has the largest virgin forest in China that is relatively well preserved. The Greater Khingan Range is not only densely forested, but also one of my country's important forestry bases, with timber reserves accounting for half of China's total. Although there have been forest fires, they have not affected the core areas, and the wildlife and plant resources are still very rich. The main trees are the Greater Khingan Larch, Scots Pine, Red Spruce, White Birch, Mongolian Oak, and Poplar.

The Greater Khingan Range is 1,400 kilometers long and 200 kilometers wide, stretching from the Heilongjiang River in the north to the upper valley of the Xilamulun River in the south. The Greater Khingan Range has a total area of ​​about 320,000 square kilometers, of which about 240,000 square kilometers are in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and about 80,000 square kilometers are in Heilongjiang Province.

2. Shennongjia Forest Area

Shennongjia Forest District is located at the junction of Hubei, Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces, with the main part located in Hubei. It is the junction of Daba Mountains and Qinling Mountains. It is located in the transition zone between subtropical and temperate zones. The area has the largest virgin forest in central my country.

Shennongjia Forest Area covers an area of ​​about 3,200 square kilometers, which is about half the size of Shanghai. Rare wild animals such as giant salamanders, Sichuan golden monkeys, clouded leopards, leopards, and Asian black bears live in the area. Legends of wild men have been circulating in Shennongjia Forest Area, which adds mystery to the primeval forest.

3. Tropical Rainforest in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Xishuangbanna Tropical Rainforest is located in Jinghong, Mengla and Menghai counties of Xishuangbanna Prefecture in southern Yunnan Province, with a total area of ​​about 2,800 square kilometers. Xishuangbanna Tropical Rainforest is one of the best-preserved tropical rainforests in the world, a kingdom of animals and plants, with a unique "inverted" vertical distribution of plants in the world.

Looking around the world, virgin forests are mainly distributed in Siberia, Canada, Amazon, etc. Many people think that the largest virgin forest in the world is the Amazon rainforest, but in fact, the Canadian temperate coniferous forest is the largest virgin forest in the world. The coniferous forest starts from Alaska in the United States and extends to the Atlantic Ocean. The total area accounts for about 25% of the existing virgin forests on the earth.

As the world's population continues to grow, the global forest coverage rate will continue to decline in the future. Take the Amazon rainforest in South America as an example. In order to obtain more arable land and develop the agricultural economy, the area of ​​rainforest there has been decreasing. Although the Brazilian government is also protecting it appropriately, the results are not good. As the last pure land on earth, the virgin forest is also the home of many wild animals and plants on earth, and it is even more worthy of our protection.