| Located in Songpan County, north-west Sichuan Province, in
the southern part of Min Shan Range, approximately 150km north-north-west
of the provincial capital of Chengdu. Divided into two distinct sites: the
Huanglong subdivision, north-east of the town of Songpan, which represents
the entire Fujiang Gully catchment area above the village of Shijiabao;
and the Mouni Gully subdivision, 15km south-west of Songpan, which
includes the catchments of Zhaga and Erdaohai gullies. 32°37'-32°54'N,
103°37'-104°8'E (Huanglong), and 32°30'-32°42N, 103°25'-103°32'E (Mouni
Valley). with area of 70,000ha. The Huanglong subdivision is 60,000ha,
58,000ha of which is protection zone. The Mouni Gully subdivision is
10,000ha, 6,000ha of which is protection zone. Ranges from 1,700m to
5,588m (Xuebaoding Peak).
Geologically, the Huanglong subdivision falls within the Qinling-Kunlun
latitudinal tectonic zone and the Snow Mountain Great Fault, while the
Mouni Gully subdivision incorporates the Minjiang River Fault and the
Zhaga Mountain Fault. Tectonic activity, in the form of earthquakes, is
fairly frequent. The site lies in the southern part of the Min Shan, a
mountain range leading from the east of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau down
to the Sichuan Basin. The relief is predominantly precipitous, a
particularly spectacular example being where the Fujiang River flows
through the Danyun Gorge. Above the tree-linethere are extensive areas of
precipitous mountain scenery, snow-covered for much of the year.
Xuebaoding, or Snow Mountain Peak, is permanently snow-covered and bears
the easternmost glacier in China. The rock strata comprise: Palaeozoic
deposits which are largely carbonate and are over 4,000m thick; Mesozoic
deposits at least 1,000m thick with a variety of sedimentary rocks in a
cataclastic sedimentation; and the most recent Cenozoic deposits
consisting of alluvial gravels, glacial moraines and carbonate sediments.
Huanglong is situated at the transition zone between the eastern damp
forest zone and the mountainous coniferous woods/meadow grassland and
shrub zone of Qing-Zang Plateau. It lies close to the intersection of four
floral regions: Eastern Asia, Himalaya, and the subtropical and tropical
zones of the northern hemisphere. About 65.8% of the site is forest
covered, with much of the remainder being above the tree-line. Some land
appears to be under cultivation and pasture, although the extent is
uncertain.
Diversity is high due to the site's location within four floral
regions, its wide altitudinal range, and the extensive undisturbed
forests. There are 59 mammals (six orders and 18 families); 155 birds (12
orders and 29 families); five reptiles (two orders and three families);
five amphibians (two orders and four families) and two fish species. A
large number of the species listed are threatened at the national and
international level. Mammals include such notable species as giant panda Ailuropoda
melanoleuca, golden snub-nosed monkey Pygathrix roxellanae
roxellanae, brown bear Ursus arctos, Asiatic black bear Selenarctos
thibetanus, leopard Panthera pardus, Pallas' cat Felis manul,
Asiatic wild dog Cuon alpinus, lesser panda Ailurus fulgens,
Sichuan takin Budorcas taxicolor thibetana, mainland serow Capricornis
sumatraensis, common goral Nemorhaedus goral, argali Ovis
ammon and three species of deer. A preliminary list of birds is given,
includes five species of pheasant, notably Chinese monal Lophophorus
lhuysii and a number of waterfowl species. |