![Gaoligongshan IMGP5778](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Gaoligongshan_IMGP5778.jpeg)
The Gaoligong Mountains () are a mountainous sub-range of the southern
Hengduan Mountain Range, located in the western
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...
highlands and straddling the border of southwestern
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and northern
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
(Burma).
Geography
The Gaoligong Mountains are located along the west bank of the
Nujiang Valley; from
Gongshan
Gongshan Derung and Nu Autonomous County (; Lisu: ꓗꓳꓹ-ꓢ ꓔꓴꓽ-ꓡꓳꓽ ꓫꓵꓽ ꓠꓳꓸ ꓫꓵꓽ ꓚꓲꓸ ꓛꓬꓽ ꓗꓪꓼ ꓫꓵꓽ ꓫꓯꓹ; Derung: Koksang, the name has nothing to do with the Derung language for Gaoligong ...
county down in to
Dehong Prefecture
The Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture is located in western Yunnan province, People's Republic of China, and is one of the eight autonomous prefectures of the province, bordering Baoshan to the east and Burma's Kachin State to the west. ...
, a distance of approximately . It is the
drainage divide
A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a singl ...
between the Nujiang (
Salween River
, ''Mae Nam Salawin'' (
, name_etymology =
, image = Sweet_View_of_Salween_River_in_Tang_Yan_Township,_Shan_State,_Myanmar.jpg
, image_size =
, image_caption = Salween River in Shan State, Myanmar
, map ...
) and the
Irrawaddy River
The Irrawaddy River ( Ayeyarwady River; , , from Indic ''revatī'', meaning "abounding in riches") is a river that flows from north to south through Myanmar (Burma). It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Origi ...
. The main peak is ''Ga her'' (嘎普) ''peak'', above sea level.
The mountains contain part of the
Nujiang Lancang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests
The Nujiang Lancang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion in Southwest China and northeastern Myanmar. The forests cover mountains and valleys in the western Hengduan Mountains and because of the ext ...
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...
.
Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve
The Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve is made up of three distinct areas.
One part is found in the south-central part of the mountain range and covers an area of . Around wide, and reaches over approximately from north to south — across parts of
Lushui County
Lushui () is a county-level city in and the seat of Nujiang Prefecture, western Yunnan Province, China. It borders Myanmar's Kachin State to the west and occupies the southern fifth of Nujiang Prefecture.
Administrative divisions
Lushui City ha ...
,
Baoshan City
(; historically also Yongchang, Burmese:ပေါက်ရှန်) is a prefecture-level city in Western Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. Baoshan is the second-biggest metropolitan area in western Yunnan after Dali.
Geography a ...
Prefecture and
Tengchong County
Tengchong () is a county-level city of Baoshan City, western Yunnan province, People's Republic of China. It is well known for its volcanic activity. The city is named after the town of Tengchong which serves as its political center, previously kn ...
.
Another large part of the reserve is the Dulongjian area, west of
Gongshan
Gongshan Derung and Nu Autonomous County (; Lisu: ꓗꓳꓹ-ꓢ ꓔꓴꓽ-ꓡꓳꓽ ꓫꓵꓽ ꓠꓳꓸ ꓫꓵꓽ ꓚꓲꓸ ꓛꓬꓽ ꓗꓪꓼ ꓫꓵꓽ ꓫꓯꓹ; Derung: Koksang, the name has nothing to do with the Derung language for Gaoligong ...
, and home to the
Derung
The Derung (also spelt ''Drung'' or ''Dulong'') people (; endonym: ) are an ethnic group. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by China. Their population of 6,000 is found in the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture of Yun ...
people.
The highest peak within the reserve is ''Wona'' at high .
;Conservation history
In 1983, the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve was established, and in 1992, the
World Wildlife Fund
The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...
, designated it a level A grade protected area. In 2000,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
accepted it as a
Biosphere Reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...
member.
The reserve is part of the ''
Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas
The Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas () is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yunnan province, China. It lies within the drainage basins of the upper reaches of the Jinsha (Yangtze), Lancang (Mekong) and Nujiang (Salween) rivers, in t ...
'', established in 2003, and as such a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
See also
*
Gaoligongshania megalothyrsa
''Gaoligongshania megalothyrsa'' is a species of small, bushy mountain bamboo, in the monotypic genus ''Gaoligongshania''. Like ''Ferrocalamus'', this genus is found only in Yunnan Province of China, and near the Myanmar border, at an altitude of ...
*
Gaoligong pika
The Gaoligong pika (''Ochotona gaoligongensis'') is a species of mammal in the family Ochotonidae. It is endemic to China. Many of the general physical characteristics of the pika species, are shared by Gaoligong pikas. However, the Gaoligong pik ...
*
Gaoligong forest hedgehog
The Gaoligong forest hedgehog (''Mesechinus wangi'') or Wang's forest hedgehog is a species of hedgehog in the family Erinaceidae found only in China. It is endemic to the slopes of Mt. Gaoligong in the Yunnan Province, where it lives in subtr ...
*
List of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in China Under UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Reserve Programme, there are 142 biosphere reserves recognized as part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Asia and the Pacific as of April 2016. These are distributed across 24 countries in the region.
T ...
References
Physical Geography of the Gaoligong Shan Area of Southwest China, in Relation to BiodiversityUNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves DirectoryGaoligongshan Official WebsiteWorld Database on Protected Areas
Mountains of Myanmar
China–Myanmar border
Mountain ranges of Yunnan
World Heritage Sites in China
Biosphere reserves of China
Tourist attractions in Yunnan
Geography of Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture
Geography of Baoshan, Yunnan
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