Dupang Mountain National Nature Reserve

Dupang Mountain National Nature Reserve

Dupang Mountain National Nature Reserve is a national-level nature reserve.

Hunan Dupang Mountain National Nature Reserve is situated in the southwestern part of Yongzhou City in southern Hunan Province, bordering Guangxi, in the central part of the Nanling Mountain Range along the main ridge of Dupang Mountain. To the east, it connects with Qingtang Town of Dao County and Qiandongdong Township of Jiangyong County; to the south, it adjoins Yunshan Town of Jiangyong County; to the west, it borders Guanyang of Guangxi; and to the north, it neighbors Shouyan Town and Xianzijiao Town of Dao County. Its geographical coordinates are 111°5′12″ to 111°23′50″ east longitude and 25°15′26″ to 25°36′39″ north latitude. The total area of the reserve is 20,066 hectares, including a core zone of 7,497 hectares, a buffer zone of 6,195 hectares, and an experimental zone of 6,376 hectares, accounting for 37.4%, 30.8%, and 31.8% of the total area respectively. The reserve primarily protects the most typical and representative vegetation types and forest ecosystems in the transitional zone from mid-subtropical to south-subtropical regions, and is classified as a forest ecosystem-type nature reserve.

This reserve was established in April 2000 with the approval of the State Council. To strengthen the protection and management of the abundant vegetation and forest ecosystems within the reserve, the Hunan Yongzhou Dupang Mountain National Nature Reserve Administration was set up in the same year as a deputy division-level public institution. It consists of a General Affairs Division and a Business Division, and oversees two sub-administrations: Dao County Yueyan and Jiangyong Gaizeyuan, along with six management stations and six conservation points, totaling 46 staff positions. These include 6 at the administration, 20 at each sub-administration, and 95 full-time forest rangers. The two sub-administrations operate an integrated management system with the Hunan Yueyan National Forest Park, Dao County Yueyan State-owned Forest Farm, Hunan Qiandongdong National Forest Park, and Jiangyong Gaizeyuan State-owned Forest Farm. As of now, the administration has 43 management staff, including 7 with bachelor’s degrees or higher, 15 with associate degrees, 1 senior engineer, 6 engineers, 9 assistant engineers, and 95 full-time forest rangers.

Dupang Mountain Nature Reserve is located in the central part of the Southeast China Diwa Region, on the western side of the middle section of the Gan-Gui Diwa System. The mountain range features a combined arc structure and is a folded fault-block mountain with erosional tectonic landforms. Its highest peak, Jiucailing, stands at 2,009.3 meters above sea level, making it the tallest peak in Yongzhou. The horizontal distance from the summit to the foothills is less than 7 km, with an elevation drop of 1,700 meters. On the eastern slope, the gradient is around 35° in the lower sections. Gullies on both the eastern and western slopes are deeply cut, often exceeding 700 meters, with valley bottoms mostly forming canyons and ridgelines often appearing as knife-edged crests.

The Dupang Mountain ridge serves as the watershed between the Yangtze River and Pearl River systems. The eastern and western sections belong to the Yangtze River system, while the western part in Guangxi belongs to the Pearl River system. The area south of Dupang Mountain in Jiangyong County belongs to the Pearl River system, whereas the northern part belongs to the Yangtze River system. The mountain streams in the area have significant drops, resulting in very rapid water flow.

The region has a mid-subtropical monsoon humid climate, characterized by short winters, long summers, abundant rainfall, and large vertical temperature variations. The annual average temperature ranges from 14°C to 17.5°C. For every 100-meter increase in elevation, the temperature drops by 0.55°C. At 610 meters above sea level, the average annual temperature is 16.2°C, and at 1,800 meters, it is 10.9°C. Areas above 900 meters experience about three months of frost each year, with an average of around 200 foggy days annually.

The main parent rock types in the reserve include quartz sandstone, siltstone, sandstone, sandy slate, siliceous shale, and biotite granite. The soil exhibits a clear vertical distribution: below 500 meters is red soil, 500–700 meters is mountain red soil, 700–1,550 meters is mountain yellow soil, 1,550–1,950 meters is mountain yellow-brown soil, and above 1,950 meters is mountain shrub meadow soil. Additionally, in the Qiandongdong area at around 1,700 meters elevation, there is a concentrated distribution of mountain peat marsh soil covering approximately 257.24 hectares.

The reserve is located in the transitional zone from China’s mid-subtropical to south-subtropical regions, with the entire mountain range preserving a relatively intact evergreen broad-leaved forest ecosystem. The area boasts rich wildlife and plant resources, with obvious transitional flora components and extremely high species richness. Surveys have recorded 2,056 species of vascular plants belonging to 218 families and 955 genera, accounting for about 7% of the total number of vascular plant species in China. These include 36 families, 90 genera, and 257 species of ferns; 8 families, 19 genera, and 26 species of gymnosperms; and 174 families, 846 genera, and 1,773 species of angiosperms. Excluding 124 introduced or naturalized alien plant species, there are 1,675 naturally occurring seed plant species in the reserve. Additionally, there are 147 species of macrofungi from 40 families and 77 genera.

The reserve has recorded 307 species of terrestrial vertebrates, belonging to 4 classes, 29 orders, and 92 families. This includes 47 mammal species from 20 families and 8 orders, representing 8.10% and 49.47% of the national and Hunan provincial mammal species totals respectively; 173 bird species from 50 families and 16 orders, accounting for 12.92% and 39.54% of the national and provincial bird species totals; 52 reptile species from 11 families and 3 orders, making up 11.50% and 52.53% of the national and provincial reptile species totals; and 35 amphibian species from 8 families and 2 orders, representing 9.56% and 53.85% of the national and provincial amphibian species totals. The survey also found 25 fish species from 9 families and 4 orders.

The reserve is home to numerous rare and endangered wild animal and plant species of high conservation value. It contains 19 nationally protected wild plant species, including 4 first-class protected species: Abies beshanzuensis var. ziyuanensis (resource fir), Taxus wallichiana var. mairei (southern yew), Bretschneidera sinensis (Bretschneidera), and Primulina tabacum (toothcup); and 15 second-class protected species, along with 49 species of orchids. There are 38 nationally protected wild animal species, including 2 first-class protected species: Moschus berezovskii (forest musk deer) and Tragopan caboti (yellow-bellied tragopan), and 39 second-class protected species, with 226 species qualifying as “nationally protected beneficial or economically and scientifically valuable terrestrial wild animals.” A total of 25 wild animal species are listed under the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), including 1 in Appendix I (Ciconia boyciana, oriental white stork), 16 in Appendix II, and 8 in Appendix III.

In accordance with the "Dupang Mountain National Nature Reserve Master Plan" approved by the national and provincial authorities, the goal is to develop Dupang Mountain into a multifunctional national nature reserve integrating conservation, scientific research, production, education, internships, and eco-tourism. Based on this vision, the short-term plan focuses on enhancing the vegetation and forest ecosystem conservation system, along with building a scientific research system centered on fundamental studies and science education, aiming to initially restore populations and numbers of rare and endangered species and preserve biodiversity. The long-term plan emphasizes further improving infrastructure on the basis of effective conservation and restoration, striving to meet the diverse needs of society and local communities for scientific research, conservation, and education. At the same time, it seeks to actively develop eco-tourism using local resources to promote sustainable regional economic development. Since the establishment of the administration, the team has consistently adhered to the guiding principle of “conservation as the goal, development as the means, and promoting conservation through development.” While strictly enforcing resource protection measures, the administration has also raised construction funds through various channels and accelerated reserve development in line with the Master Plan. First, a number of projects related to conservation, production, daily life, and tourism have been completed, including the construction of 6 management stations, 6 new forest patrol points, 174 km of patrol roads, 490 km of firebreaks, two comprehensive office buildings, a series of permanent information signs, and various eco-tourism attractions and facilities. The first phase of infrastructure construction is progressing smoothly. Second, efforts to promote laws and regulations have been intensified, with all commercial logging and hunting activities within the reserve completely banned. Public awareness campaigns, such as setting up signs at mountain entrances, displaying permanent slogans, distributing informational materials in villages, and explaining national laws and regulations on reserve and wildlife protection, have significantly enhanced conservation awareness among local communities, laying a solid foundation for a complete ban on commercial exploitation. Third, the reserve has strengthened patrols and protection management, cracking down on illegal activities such as illegal logging, overharvesting, poaching, and unauthorized land occupation. Two professional forest ranger teams totaling 95 members have been established to manage specific areas, effectively protecting forest resources. Fourth, forest fire prevention has been prioritized to prevent wildfires. The administration follows the principle of “prevention first, active suppression,” enhancing public awareness through education while establishing a four-tier early warning system (administration, sub-administration, management station, village group) and a three-tier joint forest fire prevention mechanism (sub-administration, management station, village group). Responsibility systems for fire prevention and field fire use have been implemented, yielding positive results. Since the reserve’s establishment, there have been no forest fires, no destruction of protected wildlife or plant resources, and no instances of villagers encroaching on forests for farming or fuelwood. Vegetation and the environment have been effectively restored and protected. In recent years, key projects such as national ecological public welfare forests, grain-for-green initiatives, and reserve infrastructure development have brought new vitality to the reserve, transforming it rapidly.

The Administration Office of Hunan Yongzhou Dupang Mountain National Nature Reserve is located at No. 63, Shuangzhou Road, Hedong District, Lengshuitan, Yongzhou City (within the Municipal Forestry Bureau compound), with convenient access to the provincial capital Changsha and other parts of the country via railway, expressway, and air transport. The two sub-administrations, Dao County Yueyan and Jiangyong Gaizeyuan, are situated in their respective county seats, approximately a two-hour drive from the city. Transportation and communication conditions are highly accessible.

Mailing address: Administration of Hunan Dupang Mountain National Nature Reserve, No. 63, Shuangzhou Road, Hedong District, Lengshuitan, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, Postal Code: 425000, Tel: 0746-8324603 (Fax)