Establishing a Number of Nature Reserves
3 min readSince Xinjiang established the first nature reserve-the Tacheng Wild Badan Apricot Nature Reserve in 1980, by the end of 2011, the autonomous region had established 34 nature reserves of various kinds with a total area of 22.5167 million hectares, ranking second in China, including nine national nature reserves.
The Lop Nur Wild Camel Nature Reserve with an area of 77,800 square kilometers was established in 2000 and upgraded into a national nature reserve in 2003. It protects wild Bactrian camels, the landscape of the desert where they live and other rare animals and plants as well as the special yardang landforms, brine springs and historical and cultural sites along the ancient Silk Road.
The Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve with a planned area of 45,000 square kilometers was established in 1983 and upgraded into a national nature reserve in 1985. It protects the primitive plateau’s ecological system, mountain lakes, plateau karst and glacier landforms, and rare plateau animals such as the wild yak, Tibetan wild ass, Tibetan antelope, snow leopard, brown bear, argali, ibex, bharal, snow cock, vulture and bearded vulture. There are also rare plateau cushion plants here.
The Tarim Euphrates Poplar National Nature Reserve with an area of 3,954 square kilometers was established in 1983 and upgraded into a national nature reserve in 2001. It protects Populus cliversifolia and its ecological environment.
The Ebinur Lake Wetland Nature Reserve with an area of 2,671 square kilometers was established in 2000. It protects the natural ecological system consisting of the water body of the Ebinur Lake and its surrounding shoals, deserts, forests, grasslands and wildlife.
After 1970s, the surface of the Ebinur Lake once shrank to less than 500 square kilometers.
After the establishment of the nature reserve, active and effective measures were taken, the amount of the lake region’s water increased, and the ecological environment improved notably.
The Kanas National Nature Reserve with an area of 2,202 square kilometers is the only area in China with a drainage basin of the Arctic river system and the only area in China with Palearctic Europe-Siberia animals and plants.
The Bayanbulak National Nature Reserve with an area of 1,150 square kilometers was established in 1980 and upgraded into a national nature reserve in 1988. It protects Gygnus spp, water birds and their living environment. At present, the amount of Gygnus spp. has recovered from more than 2,000 in 1980 when the reserve was established to 5,000 to 8,000.
The Peak Tomur National Nature Reserve was established in 1980. It protects alpine glaciers, forests, grasslands and wildlife.
The Gan jiahu Suosuo Forest National Nature Reserve with a total area of 547 square kilometers was established in 1983 and upgraded into a national nature reserve in 1998. It mainly protects the Chinese Level IlI protected plants Haloxylon ammodendron andH persicum as well as their desert ecological environment.
The West Tianshan National Nature Reserve with an area of 312 square kilometers was established in 1983 and upgraded into a national nature reserve in 1999. It mainly protects the Schrenk spruce and its living environment. The reserve’s total living wood growing stock has reached 2.85 million cubic meters, and the average living wood growing stock per square kilometer has reached 8,807 cubic meters, which is rare in China.
