Xi Jiang Rivers and Streams - A Global Ecoregion
Picturesque landscape traversed by the Xi Jiang, China's second largest river
Snapshot: Ecoregion 170
Size:
387,000 sq. km (154,800 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Small Rivers
Geographic Location:
Southeastern Asia: southern China and northern Vietnam
Conservation Status:
Critical/Endangered
Quiz Time!
Which are the three main tributaries of the Xi Jiang?
Answer:
As the second largest river system in China, the Xi Jiang (or Pearl River) has three main tributaries: the Xi Jiang, the Beijang, and the Dongjiang. The Xi Jiang is by far the largest of the three.
Answer:
As the second largest river system in China, the Xi Jiang (or Pearl River) has three main tributaries: the Xi Jiang, the Beijang, and the Dongjiang. The Xi Jiang is by far the largest of the three.
About the Area
The southern margin of China is characterised by a distinctive landscape of karst limestone, where hills, sinkholes, and caverns abound.
The ecoregion, defined by the Xi Jiang (or Pearl River) and its tributaries, contains over 380 freshwater, brackish, and anadromous fish species out of which, 120 may be endemic. Such diversity is considered unusual for a moderate climate. Each summer monsoonal rains flood the Xi Jiang River, the level of flooding varies each year depending on the strength of the monsoons.
Local Species
This ecoregion's migratory fish species include the rare Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) and two Shads (Tenualosa reevesii and Clupanodon thrissa).
Threats
Over 3,000 dams have been built on the Xi Jiang River and its tributaries, blocking the migration of freshwater and anadromous species.
Over seventy-five per cent of land in the basin has been converted into cropland resulting in the loss of eighty per cent of the original forest cover.
Thus, the landscape around the rivers and streams has been severely changed, leaving little of the natural vegetation to buffer water flowing overland to the streams, further resulting in water pollution. Population in the delta of this river is expected to double over the next 25-50 years, and with an increasing population will come an increasing need for clean fresh water.
Resources
• NationalGeographic.com
