Anji Salamander National Nature Reserve

Anji Salamander National Nature Reserve

The Anji Salamander National Nature Reserve is located at the southwestern tip of Anji County, Zhejiang Province, at the source of the Huangpu River. Its main peak, Longwang Peak, stands at an elevation of 1,587.4 meters, making it the highest peak in northern Zhejiang. It borders the Tianmushan National Nature Reserve of Zhejiang. The reserve covers a total area of 1,242.5 hectares and is a forest and wildlife type nature reserve, boasting rich biodiversity. According to surveys, the reserve is home to over 1,400 plant species and 269 animal species, including nationally protected animals such as the black muntjac and clouded leopard.

Since it is called the Anji Salamander National Nature Reserve, we have to talk about this globally remarkable creature—the Anji salamander. The Anji salamander, scientific name Hynobius amjiensis, is an amphibian of the genus Hynobius in the family Hynobiidae and is endemic to China. It has only been found on Longwang Mountain in Anji. For tens of thousands of years, it has lived here, hence its name.

In the natural world, it is a rare and precious species—listed among the top ten most critically endangered plants and animals by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), alongside the giant panda and the Chinese alligator. There are currently only about 300 individuals left. This small creature has long been little known, even less famous than its cousin, the Chinese giant salamander. What’s even less known is that it serves as one of the best environmental warning systems for human habitats and is hailed as the “canary in the coal mine” of the natural environment.

The Anji salamander can serve as an indicator of environmental quality. It is highly sensitive to its surroundings and reacts quickly to changes in water, air, and temperature. Here, in the Anji Salamander National Nature Reserve, the high-quality ecological environment helps protect this extremely endangered and rare amphibian species—the Anji salamander.

Source: Huzhou Municipal People's Government