Three Parallel Rivers

Three Parallel Rivers

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History

Creatures

Subunits

Crisis

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10km

Maybe just the

distance you commute to and from work…

But in here…

It means two different world.

One of the few places on earth where this remarkable overlap takes place

Three of the globe’s great geographical zones converge in these mountains and valleys – East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Tibetan Plateau.

Three Parallel Rivers area is one of the most diverse places on the entire planet

The montage of topography and climate nurtures an array of life forms.

More than 6,000 plant types are known to exist within the site

The vegetation zones range from alpine meadows and coniferous forests to arid savannah shrubland and deciduous woodland.

Where are we?

Located in the mountainous north-west of Yunnan Province in China, the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas is a natural serial property consisting of 15 protected areas, grouped into eight clusters. The 1.7 million hectare site features sections of the upper reaches of three of the great rivers of Asia: the Yangtze (Jinsha), Mekong and Salween which run approximately parallel, north to south, through steep gorges which, in places, are 3,000 m deep and are bordered by glaciated peaks more than 6,000 m high. The property spans a large portion of the Hengduan Mountains, which is the major arc curving into Indochina from the eastern end of the Himalayas. Being located in the convergent regions of the three world’s major biogeographic realms, the property is in an epicentre of Chinese biodiversity. It may also harbour the richest biodiversity among the temperate areas of the world.The complex extends 310 km from 29º 00’N to 25º 30’N and 180 km 98º15’E to 100º20’E.

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The history lies in a rock.

“I am a pillow basalt. Hundreds of millions of years ago in the ancient oceans, the eruption of volcanoes under the sea created me. I thought I would stay quietly in the sea until the end of time, but the collision and fusion of plates began, and I was squeezed and lifted, and eventually pushed from the dark bottom of the sea to the sky. When all was calm the ocean receded, but left three rivers here. We rock communities from now on watch over a secret land.

Have you ever seen a folded rock? These layers of curves are evidence of being kneaded. The continental collision created a tremendous force that pushed them to bend and squeeze more than 5,000 meters into the sky, while the river kept cutting down and splitting this canyon more than 3,000 meters deep.
During the fourth ice age, two million years ago, when the glaciers of the northern hemisphere spread from north to south, sweeping away life on the surface, these three north-south rivers and canyons provided shelter for plants and animals, allowing species to flourish here. “

Creatures between us.

Along with the landscape diversity with a steep gradient of almost 6000m vertical, a monsoon climate affects most of the area and provides another favourable ecological stimulus that has allowed the full range of temperate Palearctic biomes to develop.

Researchers estimate the area harbors around a quarter of the world’s animal species, including a number of endangered creatures. The records list 173 mammals (81 endemic), 417 birds (22 endemic), 59 reptiles (27 endemic), 36 amphibians (25 endemic), 76 fish (35 endemic) and 27 (8 endemic) papilionid species.

Among its myriad mammal species are the clouded and snow leopard, the Asian black bear, the red or lesser panda, the capped leaf monkey and the takin, a rare goat-antelope found only in the eastern Himalayas.

Snow Leopard

Red Pandas

Interact with

these Animals…

In VR games!

*The trailer is only used to illustrate what one of the elements of the exhibit will look like.

Around a tenth of plants endemic to northwestern Yunnan. Like the local animals, many of them are rare and endangered.

Of particular note are the Yunnan yew tree and 20 other relict species that survived the Pleistocene ice ages. The site also contains more than 500 different medicinal plants and more than 200 species of timber trees.

The property encompasses most of the natural habitats in the Hengduan Mountains, one of the world’s most important remaining areas for the conservation of the earth’s biodiversity. The outstanding topographic and climatic diversity of the property, coupled with its location at the juncture of the East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Tibetan Plateau, biogeographical realms and its function as a N-S corridor for the movement of plants and animals (especially during the ice ages), marks it as a truly unique landscape, which still retains a high degree of natural character despite thousands of years of human habitation. As the last remaining stronghold for an extensive suite of rare and endangered plants and animals, the property is of Outstanding Universal Value.

Saussurea medusa Maxim

Mountains, rivers, and more

The site is divided into eight geographical clusters or subunits administered by a variety of national, provincial and local authorities who work in conjunction with Unesco and international conservation groups.

The best known of these is the Baima-Meili Xueshan Reserve in the far north, along the border with Tibet. More than 20 of the Xueshan, or ‘‘snow mountains,’’ boast permanent snow cover, and six soar higher than 6,000 meters. Towering above all is 6,740-meter Kawagarbo, the highest mountain in Yunnan and a place for pilgrimage for Tibetan Buddhists, for whom it is the home of the eponymous warrior god.

The rambling Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve is the largest of the subunits and the most remote. The Nature Conservancy calls the park a ‘‘veritable museum of biodiversity’’ because of its many plant and animal species. Around 85 percent of Gaoligong is covered in forest, much of it old-growth woodland that has never been logged. Strung out along the border with Myanmar, the reserve is also known for its volcanoes, hot springs and other geothermal features.

Many of the smaller subunits boast a particular geographical or biological phenomenon. For instance, the endangered Yunnan snub-faced monkey is the focus of Yunlingshan Nature Reserve. Qianhushan (Thousand Lake Mountain) Scenic Area in the province’s aptly named Shangri-La County protects a fragile highland saturated with countless alpine lakes.

Haba Xueshan Nature Reserve, easternmost of the subunits, contains another lofty peak. But its main claim to fame is the fabulous Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world’s deepest canyons. Churning against bare stone over millions of years, the Yangtze River has shaped a canyon with 2,000-meter walls that close to within 25 meters at their narrowest point. The ferocity of the rapids makes the river unnavigable, but the gorge is a popular trekking spot.

You will never miss anything exciting with this interactive map.

*The image is only used to illustrate what one of the elements of the exhibit will look like.

The Three Parallel Rivers protected area is particularly vulnerable to climate change. It sits on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, which is warming at almost three times the global average, leading to widespread desertification and glacier loss. Proposals to build a cascade of 13 mega dams on the Nu River also pose future threats to the site. The boundaries of the reserve have already been shifted to allow for large-scale gold and copper mining.

There is evidence that warming of the atmosphere and human activities in the The Three Parallel Rivers has weakened the structure and function of ecosystems since the 1980s. The well-being of local residents, ecological security, and sustainable development in the downstream catchments, as well as a large part of southeast Asia, are threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and ecosystem degradation of the The Three Parallel Rivers.

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What

Happened

Now?

This what happened in the source of three rivers.

Grassland degradation

The deterioration of grassland biological resources, land resources, water resources and ecological environment
The reduction of good forage species and the deterioration of the quality of various forages

Increase in rodent infestation

Exacerbates grassland degradation and ecological degradation. Reduces grassland productivity
Decline in wildlife habitat quality and biodiversity

Perennial permafrost and glacial melt

The glaciers on Mount Animaqing have been melting in recent years, and in the last two years there have been two avalanches caused by melting glaciers, forming two huge weirs

Decrease in river flow

Seasonal disconnection not only affects flow equilibrium, water production and water holding function, but also leads to water loss and pasture degradation of marshes and wetlands.

Rise in lake levels

Lake group area expanded, and the flood season has appeared in the plateau lake level rise, the risk of dam failure and other reservoirs

Increased land desertification

The desertified and deserted land is mainly distributed in the Qaidam Basin, the Republican Basin, the Qinghai Lake Rim area, the Sanjiangyuan area and other regions

Let’s
Unite
and

do
better.

Satellite remote sensing and ground-based interdepartmental integrated monitoring system

The observation of water cycle and carbon cycle is integrated into the ecological observation system of the region, and the technical way to grasp more information by combining the highland ground observation system and satellite observation system.

Developing climate change adaptation plans

Strengthen the assessment of climate change impacts, seek financial and policy support from international and domestic governments and civil society organizations, develop the Climate Change Adaptation Plan, and establish the Sanjiangyuan Climate Change Adaptation Pilot Area for the goals of water security, ecological protection, climate disaster reduction, and climate poverty reduction.

Developing the system of water resources change prediction and its risk assessment

Strengthen the research of spatial and temporal change trend prediction of three water resources and its ecological and environmental risk assessment technology system.

Conducting experiments on applicable technologies to cope with climate change for ecosystems such as lakes, wetlands, grasslands, glaciers and permafrost.