UNESCO/Toson-Khulstai Biosphere Reserve
Wuyishan
General information
Wuyishan Biosphere Reserve is located where Wuyishan City, Jianyang City and Guangze County in the north of Fujian Province. The reserve is developed to protect the mid-subtropical forest ecosystem and rare and endangered fauna and flora. It is an undertaking-oriented nature reserve designed for the protection and management of biodiversity, scientific research, publicity and education, and sustainable operation.
Detailed information
Key data
Year of nomination
1987
Country
China
Total population
2457
Area
Surface
56,527.00 ha
Total terresterial area
56,527.00 ha
Location
Latitiude: 27.72 - Longitude: 117.67
Contact
Ecological Characteristics
This biosphere reserve is located in the northwestern part of Fujian Province in south-east China. The designated area includes a range of vegetation types, with differences largely varying according to elevation (200 to 2,158 meters above sea level). Probably the most extensive and important vegetation type is the evergreen broad-leaved forest, which includes some of the largest tracts of humid sub-tropical forests in the world. Habitats of special interest for conservation are Taxus chinensis communities and the middle mountain dwarf forest. The ecological function of the Wuyishan Biosphere Reserve is mainly presented in its biodiversity and its ecological process. The Wuyishan Biosphere Reserve is one of the very rare gene pools in the same altitude of the world.It has the variance and beautiful ecological landscape, the fascinating rivers and waterfalls, the wonderful forestry plants, the wildly twittering of birds and jumping of monkeys, the magnificent landscape of hills and rocks, the changing climate phenomenon, the ancient and precious trees, the rare and precious flowers, the temple and church, the museum as well as the bird observation point. Wuyishan Biosphere has a good ecological environment with forest covering 96.3% of the area. It has a well-performed climate-regulating function, benefiting community residents and tourists. As the main ecosystem of Wuyishan Biosphere Reserve, the forest ecosystem is like a huge reservoir providing 1.7 billion cubic meters of water.
Socio-Economics Characteristics
Fujian Wuyishan Biosphere Reserve, inscribed on the World Heritage List, is a landscape of great beauty that has been protected for more than twelve centuries and it contains several exceptional archaeological sites. About 2,450 people live on a permanent basis in the buffer zone and some 8,955 people in the transition area of the biosphere reserve (1999). Under the precondition of no influence upon the natural environment and resources of the reserve, sightseeing tours and other activities are organized. In terms of economic change, the reserve (Tongmu in Wuyishan City and Aotou in Jianyang City) has received 40,000 tourists annually on average, and community villagers have been engaged in tourism services, black tea and bamboo logging and processing, generating higher incomes. The Joint Conservation Committee for Conservation tries to promote the participation of local people through community co-management approach to ensure effective resource protection. Research cooperation with colleges and universities has been carried out to build teaching and practice bases. Wuyishan Reserve has given full play to publicize the protection of wildlife by “the general trend and classified education”, improving people's scientific literacy and raising the awareness of the public in wildlife conservation. More invest has been put in the development of infrastructure and training mechanism. A new development model for communities by “fostering special industries covering 10% of the area to protect the biodiversity in 90% of the area,” has been explored, setting a successful example for China’s nature reserves in solving the conflict between conservation and development.