Final Report - Asian Development Bank

TA 4721-PRC: Preparing the Shaanxi-Qinling Mountains Integrated Ecosystem Management Project
Final Report Appendix 5
There are drought-tolerant canopy forests, Platycladus orientalis forest and mixed forest of canopy
and other broadleaf species on steep hills with more stone. The canopy species are mainly Qeurcus
variabilis, Qeurcus aliena, and Qeurcus baronii. The other broadleaf canopy species are Ulmus
parvifolia, Celtis bungeana, Prunus davidiana. Because trees fall frequently, the forests have become
sprouting sites and their compositions are very different; the common shrubs include Cotinus
coggygria var. pubescens, Prunus tomentosa, Pistacia chinensis, Campylotropis sp., Cotoneaster
multiflorus, Spiraea fritschiana, and Lespedeza spp.. Platycladus orientalis forests occur with a bit
shape on steep slopes, the canopy height is about 5 m and closure is 0.4. Common shrubs include
Euonymus schensianus, Cotoneaster multiflorus, Indigofera pseudotinctoria, Cotinus coggygria var.
pubescens beneath the forest. The poplar (Populus spp.) and willow (Salix spp.) forests are found
commonly on the river bottomland.
3 The General Situation of the Project Area
3.1 Limits of the Project Area
The area covered by the Project of Biodiversity Conservation in Qinling Mountains ranges from
108°13�–108°29�Eand 33°43'–34°04'N, and administratively belongs to Zhouzhi County under the
administration of Xi’an municipality (by 2010, the county will have been transformed into an urban
administrative district of Xi’an city to be called Zhouzhi District). The Project Area borders on the
Provincial Mountain-perimeter Tourism Highway S107 to the north, on Qinlingliang (the summit of
Qinling Ranges) to the south , on Hanyuhe river, a branch river of Heihe River, and Xishanji to the
west and on the boundary between Zhouzhi and Huxian counties to the east, covering 458 square
kilometers. According to its overall plan approved by the government of Shaanxi Province, the project
area will be divided into the Central Zone, Gengyu River Nature Reserve, Jiuyu River Nature Reserve,
Louguantai Zone of Historical Cultures, and the Ecological Holiday Zone (see the maps in the
appendix). 70 km away from Xi’an, the project area has convenient communication conditions
because Xi’an-Baoji Expressway and Southern Xi’an-Baoji Highway access to it and mountainperimeter
Provincial Tourism Highway S107 directly accesses its Central Zone.
3.2 Conditions of the Project Area
3.2.1 Climate
The project area has a climate that varies with elevation and its southern climate differs much from its
northern climate. Flatland and hilly regions have a warm temperate climate while alpine regions have
a cool temperate mountain climate. There are four clearly defined seasons with the flatland region
sultry in summer and rarely seeing snow cover in winter, and with its mountainous region experiencing
a short and cool summer and a long and cold winter. Annual rainfall gradually increases from north to
south, averaging at 800-900 mm and amounting to 900-1000 mm in high precipitation years. Average
annual temperature ranges from 8-10° in July, and average minimum and maximum temperatures are
12°-18° and 20°-28°, respectively. In January, minimum and maximum temperatures are -8°-12° and
0°-3°, respectively. The frost-free period ranges from 200-240 days and annual sunshine varies from
2000-2200 hours. Dominant wind direction is from the north.
3.2.2 Geology and Topography
The project area contains five geomorphic units: high mountain, middle mountain, low mountain, hill,
and flatland. Its major mountain peaks are Shouyangshan, Nanshoushan, Jinfengshan, Sifangtai and
Yinpingshan. Yinpingshan (Guangtoushan) is the highest peak with its elevation reaching 2,997
meters and the elevation of its flatland region standing at 480 meters, and as a result, its elevation
difference is 2,417 meters. In terms of microtopography, diverse rock types and strong fluviation
cause Tianyuhe River to have a high stream gradient which reaches 22‰ in the downstream and 56‰
in the upper stream. There are awful and majestic mountains and plentiful, grand waterfalls, deep
gorges with sharp walls, and rocks and stones with various shapes and stances. All these provide
conditions for constructing Qinling Botanical Garden as a scenic garden.
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