Forests of the Upper Yangtze - A Global Ecoregion
Home to the adorable yet endangered Giant Panda
Snapshot: Ecoregion 70
Size:
390,000 sq. km (150,000 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Geographic Location:
South-Central China
Conservation Status:
Vulnerable
Quiz Time!
Why is the Giant Panda endangered?
Answer:
Mainly due to three reasons - habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and flowering and die-back of bamboo.
About the Area
This Global ecoregion is made up of these terrestrial ecoregions: Qin Ling Mountains deciduous forests; Daba Mountains evergreen forests; Sichuan Basin evergreen broadleaf forests.
These forests support one of the richest arrays of temperate plant species in the world with forests that extend eastward from the Hengduan Mountains, across northern Sichuan and Sha'anxi Provinces of south-central China.Home to the endangered Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), the Southwest China Temperate Forests, known to be the refuge for many species during the last Ice Age, contain a wealth of other life forms too.
Local Species
The Giant panda is the best-known species found here, inhabiting middle elevation forests that support a dense under story of bamboo. Today most of the Giant pandas that survive in the wild occur in the Minshan mountain region to the west, but the temperate forests of this region also support good panda habitat.
Other important species that inhabit these forests include the the vulnerable Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Chinese muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) - a deer that barks like a dog at dusk, China's giant salamander - the world's largest, and the Tufted deer (Elaphodus cephalophus).
Among the endemic bird species are Golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus), Copper pheasant (C. amherstiae), Temminck's tragopan (Tragopan temminkii), and the Reeve's long-tailed pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesi).
Threats
The principle threats to this ecoregion include expanding agriculture and increasing demand for timber, both associated with a growing human population. Over the past two decades, China's transition to a market economy has increased demand for non-timber forests and wildlife products for medicinal and other uses. A logging ban in the mountains of western Sichuan and increased conservation awareness by the government of China are positive signs for the future.
Resources
• NationalGeographic.com
