Parks & Reserves: Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas

"The Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas is the place where the headwaters of the Salween (Nu River), the Mekong (Lancang River), and the Yangtze (Jinsha River) flow in parallel for more than 170 kilometers (110 miles) from north to south in Yunnan Province . . . On this land, there are high mountains, deep valleys, snow-capped peaks, large glaciers, lakes with potable water, wild forest, marshy grassland, rare animals, and precious plants . . . This is a biodiversity hotspot mostly covered with temperate coniferous and broadleaf forests. Tropical plants grow in the deepest valleys. There are 6,000 species of plants, and many species are endemic to the region. There are 200 varieties of rhododendron and more than 100 species of gentian (bitterwort) and primulas. There are 173 species of mammals, of which 81 are endemic, and 417 species of birds, of which 22 are endemic. The rare mammals inhabiting this region include the black snub-nosed monkey, Indian leopard, snow leopard, Gongshan muntjac, Chinese shrew mole, stump-tailed macaque, Asiatic wild dog, black musk deer, takin (gnu goat), hoolock gibbon, Asian black bear, and red panda." The region is particularly subject to threats of climate change and development in adjacent areas. Several mining sites have been identified within the park borders, posing potential ecological consequences if illegally exploited.