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 Yangtze, Lancang and Nujiang rivers, in the
Yunnanese section of the Hengduan Mountains.
Overview = Geography =
The protected areas extend over 15 core areas, totalling 939,441.4 ha, and
buffer areas, totalling 758,977.8 ha across a region of 180 km by 310 km.
Here, for a distance of over 300 km, three of Asia's great rivers run roughly
parallel to one another though separated by high mountain ranges with peaks over
6,000 meters. After this area of near confluence, the rivers greatly diverge:
the Nujiang River becomes Salween and empties out at Moulmein, Burma, into the
Indian Ocean, the Lancang becomes the Mekong and south of Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam, empties out into the South China Sea and the Yangtse flows into the
East China Sea at Shanghai. Selected nature reserves and places of scenic
beauty in this unique region were collectively awarded World Heritage Site
status in 2003 for their very rich biodiversity and outstanding
topographical diversity. Running parallel to these three rivers,
but to the west inside Burma, is the river gorge of the N'Mai river, the main
tributary to the Irrawaddy River. = Biology =
In its description, UNESCO mentions: "(It) may be the most biologically
diverse temperate region on earth" and "An exceptional range of topographical
features - from gorges to karst to glaciated peaks -- is associated with
the site being at a 'collision point' of tectonic plates".
Due to its topography and geographical location, the Three Parallel Rivers
region contains many climate types. Average annual precipitation ranges from
4,600mm in the Dulongjian area in the west of Gongshan county to 300mm in the
upper valleys of the Yangtse river. The protected areas are home to around 6,000
species of plants, 173 species of mammals, and 417 species of birds. Many
of the flora and fauna species are endemic to the region.
= Culture = Although this region has been
acknowledged as a natural World Heritage Site, its demographic make-up also is
highly interesting as it contains many of the twenty-five minorities found in
Yunnan province including the Derung, the smallest of all of China's minority
groups. Some of the other minorities found in this region are the Tibetan
people, the Nu people, Lisu, Bai, Pumi and Naxi. Many of these minorities still
use traditional costumes as their normal daily attire.
In the same region as the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas lies
the Old Town of Lijiang, which is also a World Heritage Site in its own right.
Protected areas The Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan
Protected Areas consists of fifteen protected areas, in eight geographic
clusters. The areas include: The three separate sections of the
Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve Haba Xueshan Nature Reserve, with the
Tiger Leaping Gorge Bita Lake Nature Reserve, part of
Pudacuo National Park, in Shangri-La County
Yunling Nature Reserve Gongshan Scenic Area
Yueliangshan Scenic Area in Fugong County
Pianma Scenic Area in Lushui County Baima-Meili Xue Shan—Meili Snow mountain
range Reserve, with the highest peak, at 6,740 metres, of the protected areas.
Julong Lake Scenic Area, in Deqin County Laowoshan Scenic Area, in Fugong County
Hongshan Scenic Area, part of Pudacuo National Park in Shangri-La County
Qianhushan Scenic Area, in Shangri-La County
Laojunshan Scenic Area, in Lanping Bai and Pumi Autonomous County
Flora and fauna According to UNESCO "The area covered by
the World Heritage site is claimed to be the most biodiverse and least disturbed
temperate ecosystems in the world". Flora
The protected terrestrial ecoregion areas of this biodiversity hotspot are
for a large part covered with both temperate coniferous and broadleaf
forests. The protected areas are home to around 6,000 species of plants, many of
which are endemic to the region. More than 200 varieties of rhododendron and
more than 100 species of gentians and primulas are found in the areas.
Fauna The fauna found in the areas includes
173 species of mammals, of which 81 are endemic, and 417 species of birds, of
which 22 are endemic. Some of the mammals which inhabit these regions are
the endemic black snub-nosed monkey, the Indian leopard, snow leopard, and
clouded leopard; the Gaoligong pika, Gongshan muntjac, Chinese shrew mole,
and capped langur; the stump-tailed macaque, Asiatic wild dog, black musk
deer, and takin; the smooth-coated otter, hoolock gibbon, Asian black bear
and red panda. Rare bird species in the areas include
chestnut-throated partridge, the Lady Amherst's pheasant, white-eared
pheasant, Yunnan nuthatch, and giant nuthatch; the white-speckled
laughingthrush, ferruginous duck, Severtzov's grouse, and brown-winged
parrotbill; the Ward's trogon, black-necked crane and Verreaux's
monal-partridge. See also
List of ecoregions in China Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest -
terrestrial biome Temperate coniferous forest -
terrestrial biome List of World Heritage Sites in Asia
Episode "Shangri-La" of the BBC nature documentary Wild China
Pierre Jean Marie Delavay, a French catholic missionary and botanist who
explored the region in the late 19th century
Joseph Rock, Austrian-American explorer and botanist who described the region in
"Through the Great River Trenches of Asia: National Geographic Society
Explorer Follows the Yangtze, Mekong, and Salwin Through Mighty Gorges"
Sources and references World-Heritage-Site.org: Three Parallel
Rivers Of Yunnan Protected Areas Earth.org: "Three Parallel Rivers Of
Yunnan Protected Areas" article UNep-wcmc.org - Three Rivers of Yunnan