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| Three
Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas |
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Consisting of eight geographical clusters of protected areas within the
boundaries of the Three Parallel Rivers National Park, in the mountainous
north-west of Yunnan Province, the 1.7 million hectare site features sections
of the upper reaches of three of the great rivers of Asia: the Yangtze
(Jinsha), Mekong and Salween run roughly parallel, north to south, through
steep gorges which, in places, are 3,000 m deep and are bordered by glaciated
peaks more than 6,000 m high. At their closest the three gorges are 18km
and 66km apart. The site is an epicentre of Chinese biodiversity. It is
also one of the richest temperate regions of the world in terms of biodiversity. |
| The Great Three
Parallel Rivers |
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Superlative natural phenomena natural beauty and aesthetic importance.
The deep, parallel gorges of the Jinsha, Lancang and Nu Jiang are the
outstanding natural feature of the site; while large sections of the three
rivers lie just outside the site boundaries, the river gorges are nevertheless
the dominant scenic element in the area.
Temperatures vary from subtropical in the valleys to frigid on the snow-covered
mountain peaks. |
The land area encompassed by Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected
Areas is one of the world's least disturbed temperate ecological areas,
an epicentre of Chinese endemic species and a natural gene pool of great
richness.
It supports the richest diversity of higher plants in China and a wide
range of fungi and lichens.
The Park has 22 vegetation subtypes and 6000 plant species. This represents
over 20% of China's higher plants, 10% of which are endemic to the area,
in 45 endemic genera, and the type localities of 1,500 of them. The history
of the site has resulted in marked species differentiation from relict
and primitive to highly evolved species. 2,700 of the nominated area's
plants are endemic to China. 8.5% of China's rare and endangered species
have been recorded in the area. Of these 33 are nationally protected,
12 of them rare, 22 threatened and 37 have province-wide protection. |
The area is an outstanding region for animal diversity in China. The fauna
is a complex mosaic of palaearctic, oriental and local endemic species
adapted to nearly all the inland climates from southern subtropical to
frigid, except for desert, though there are hot dry valleys. The area
is believed to support over 25% of the world's animal species (and over
50% of China's), many being relict and endangered. In addition the type
localities of more than half of them are found there. The records list
173 mammals (81 endemic), 417 birds (22 endemic), 59 reptiles (27 endemic),
36 amphibians (25 endemic), 76 fish (35 endemic) and 27 (8 endemic) papilionid species. There is a concentration of the country's rare and endangered
animals within the nominated area. 80 are listed in the Red Book of Chinese
animals, 20 of which are considered endangered, 79 animals are listed
on the CITES 1997 appendices, 57 are listed in the IUCN Red List of the
world's Threatened Animals, 6 of them endangered. Being near the boundaries
of the East Asian, Southeast Asian and Tibetan biogeographic realms, the
nominated area also acts as a corridor where several species from each
realm meet and reach their limits of distribution. In addition there are
numerous primitive animals that are relics of the ecological past, alongside
animals that have recently adapted to colder conditions. |
Of the estimated 278,329 people
living within the boundaries of the site, 13 ethnic groups are represented,
among them the Tibetan, Yi, Naxi, Bai, Lisu, Pumi, Nu and Dulong peoples.
Many of these ethnic groups preserve unique customs and traditions. In
many areas of the National Park, villages containing traditional houses
and terraced hillside farms well adapted to their environment are maintained.
The management plan developed for the nominated area, urges government
agencies responsible for management of the site, to develop action plans
to preserve the cultures and traditions of such ethnic groups. The government
intends to preserve 31 of these traditional villages, to realize their
potential for tourism. They are representative of Tibetan, Naxi, Bai,
Lisu, Nu, Pumi and Dulong cultures and are close to the scenic zones near
Laowo River Gorge and Xiaojiang area.
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| Visitors and
Visitor Facilities |
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Despite the remoteness, the
area's unparalleled scenic, geologic and ecological variety, rare flora
and fauna and the cultural diversity of its peoples, has begun to attract
tourists, who numbered 188,560 in 2001. Visitor statistics for 1999 -
2001 indicate that overall visitor numbers have been steadily rising for
most protected areas that comprise the site. 85 - 95% of visitors are
from China, with 5 - 15% originating from overseas.
There are currently over
2,000 hotel beds in Gaoligong National Park area. There are plans to
develop driving, riding, trekking and boating activities with service
centres in the main six and 17 smaller towns within the National Park.
Among the snow-covered mountains, alpine lakes, meadows, streams, waterfalls
and immense gorges 188 scenic sites have been identified. They include
fantastic rock formations, karst cliffs and caves and terraces of calcareous
tufa. 40 scenic sites have been established already, with parking, signposts,
information panels, toilets and garbage collection. However, to ensure
their preservation, core protected area zones are not open to tourists. |
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(From whc.unesco.org
and www.unep-wcmc.org) |
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Seclusive
Gorge |
"Moon
Bend" of the Yangtze |
Wild Camellia |
Yunnan Snub-nosed Golden Monkey |
Naxi Old "Dongba" |
Lisu Wedding |
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