SW China’s Yunnan Province committed to building protected area system to protect endangered animals

Southwest China’s Yunnan Province has always been committed to building a protected area system, effectively protecting the populations and habitats of several rare and endangered animals, such as the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, green peacocks and Asian elephants.

Photo taken on March 16, 2021, shows a Yunnan snub-nosed monkey at the Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey National Park in Shangri-La, Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Yunnan established Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve, its first nature reserve, in 1958, according to Wang Weibin, deputy head of the forestry and grassland bureau of Yunnan Province.

Since then, Yunnan has built 362 protected areas in 11 types, including pilot areas for China’s national park system, natural reserves, and scenic spots, covering an area of nearly 5.5 million hectares, or about 14.32 percent of the province’s land area, Wang added.

Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve, which sits in the core zone of the Three Parallel Rivers of the Yunnan Protected Areas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands as a typical example of the province’s efforts to protect the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, an endangered species unique to China.

Zhong Tai, an engineer from Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve, first encountered the creatures during a field investigation in 1985. “The monkeys lived in the depths of the snow mountains and were rarely seen,” Zhong said.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 9, 2021, shows a herd of wild Asian elephants in Yuanjiang county of Yuxi city, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

In the past, hunting and lumbering impacted the habitats of the monkeys, and the number of monkey groups was on the decline.

To better protect the creatures, Yunnan strove to improve their habitats, according to Zhong. In 1983, the provincial government of Yunnan approved the establishment of the Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve. In 1988, the reserve was upgraded to a national-level reserve.

To make the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys feel “at home,” surrounding villagers have also been mobilized to participate in the conservation efforts.

The province’s long-term protection efforts are paying off. The number of the creatures living in the reserve has risen from no more than 500 to over 2,300, Zhong said.

According to investigations, the total population of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys across the province increased from 1,400 to over 3,300.

Black-necked cranes play at the Dashanbao Dahaizi Wetland in Zhaotong city, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Feb. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Investigations also showed that the population and distribution area of about 50 kinds of wild animals in Yunnan have expanded. In addition to the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, the population of wild Asian elephants in the province has risen from 150 to about 300 over the past 30 years, maintaining steady growth. The number of western black crested gibbons in Yunnan has grown from 800 to nearly 1,300. Meanwhile, as many as 420 species of birds migrate to Yunnan each year.