Final Report - Asian Development Bank

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TA 4721-PRC: Preparing the Shaanxi-Qinling Mountains Integrated Ecosystem Management Project
Final Report Appendix 5
ANNEX 16: QINLING MOUNTAINS FAUNA ASSESSMENT REPORT
A. Part One The Qinling Mountains Fauna Biodiversity and Conservation
The Qinling Mountains are famous in our country and even in the world, and they are one of the very
important biological resource places in our country. The Qinling Mountains are parts of the Yangtze
and Yellow River system watershed in physical geography and Chinese south-north climate boundary.
They also mark the biogeographic barrier between the Oriental and Palaearctic zones and are a
transitional zone in zoogeography. The Qinling area has an abundant botanical resource and distinct
elevational vegetation distribution. In its north slope most of the botany is the element of the North
China botanical system, but in the south slope most of the botany is the element of the Central China
and the South China botanical system. So the Qinling Mountains are the joint and transition belt of the
south-north botanical system. The above characters determine the particularity and the exclusive of
the Qinling Mountains in China, at the same time they also determine the Qinling area as one of the
most abundant area of the Biodiversity in the global scope.
As the Qinling Mountains has a special geographical position, diverse vegetation environment and
continental climate and wet condition, it supply fauna and wildlife a perfect place to inhabit and breed.
There are unknown but abundant invertebrates and also many other wildlife resource in addition to the
557 species of vertebrate known at present, such as Qinling Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), Takin
(Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi), Golden Monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana), Crested Ibis (Nipponia
nippon), Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus) and Qinling Lenok (Brachymystax lenok
tsinlingensis )(Table 1).
Table 1: Number of Vertebrates in Qinling Mountains
Order Family Genus Species
Fish 6 13 67 109
Amphibians 2 7 12 19
Reptiles 3 8 26 26
Birds 17 49 166 308
Mammals 7 27 81 115
Total 35 104 462 577
The 557 species of vertebrates known at present in the Qinling area represent 35 orders, 104 families
and 462 genera. Among these, there are 109 species of fish in the Qinling area of 6 orders, 13
families, 67 genera, and accounting for 83% of the 132 species of fish in Shaanxi Province and 11% of
the 1,010 species in the entire country. There are 19 species of amphibians, of 2 orders, 7 families,
12 genera, representing 73% of the 26 species of amphibians in Shaanxi Province and nearly 9% of
the 220 species in the entire country. There are 26 species of reptiles of 3 orders, 8 families, 26
genera, accounting for 51% of the 51 species of reptiles in Shaanxi Province and nearly 7% of the 380
species in the entire country. There are 308 species of birds of 17 orders, 49 families, 166 genera,
accounting for 84% of the 368 species of birds in Shaanxi Province and 26% of the 1,186 species in
the entire country. Finally, there are 115 species of mammals of 7 orders, 27 families, 81 genera,
accounting for 78% of the 147 species of mammals in Shaanxi Province and nearly 23% of the 509
species in the entire country (Tables 1, 2). From these totals it is clear that the Qinling area is a
biodiversity hot-spot in Shaanxi Province and even at the national level it is one of the most biodiverse
areas. As a result of this, the Chinese government has already listed the Qinling Mountains region as
one of the 17 national biodiversity protection areas, which received resource priority in China.