Lanke Mountain Nature Reserve

Lanke Mountain Nature Reserve

I. Natural Environment

The Guangdong Lanke Mountain Provincial Nature Reserve is located in the northeastern suburbs of Zhaoqing City and Gaoyao City, on the lower reaches of the Xijiang River, at the northwest corner of the Pearl River Delta. Its geographical coordinates are 112°34’58’’–112°45’45’’E, 23°03’30’’–23°09’17’’N. Lanke Mountain is an isolated mountainous area. Its highest peak, Lanke Mountain, stands at an elevation of 904 meters.

The reserve is situated on the southern edge of the Tropic of Cancer and falls within the South Asian tropical monsoon climate zone. The annual average temperature is 21.9°C, and the annual average rainfall is 1,656.6 mm. The soil exhibits characteristics typical of the South Asian tropical zonal soil, with the zonal vegetation being monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest. There are also various other vegetation types, including South Asian tropical valley monsoon forests, mountainous evergreen broad-leaved forests, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, coniferous forests, and montane dwarf forest-shrublands.

II. Natural Resources

The total area of the Lanke Mountain Nature Reserve is 7,961.59 hectares, all of which is forested land. The forest coverage rate is 91.59%, with a total timber growth volume of 11,000 cubic meters and a standing timber stock volume reaching 225,400 cubic meters.

The plant species composition in the reserve shows clear transitional characteristics from the subtropical to the tropical flora. There are 1,106 species of wild vascular plants belonging to 586 genera and 163 families, including: 111 species of ferns (29 families, 11 genera); 9 species of gymnosperms (4 families, 6 genera); and 986 species of angiosperms (130 families, 521 genera). Among them, there are 12 nationally key protected and rare or endangered plant species, including Cyathea spinulosa, Cibotium barometz, Alsophila spinulosa, Alsophila podophylla, Podocarpus fleuryi, Tsoongiodendron odorum, Cinnamomum camphora, Aquilaria sinensis, Erythrophleum fordii, Litchi chinensis, and Morinda officinalis, as well as 11 species of wild orchids. There are 239 species of terrestrial vertebrate wildlife, belonging to 27 orders and 68 families, including 31 species that are nationally key protected and rare or endangered, 146 species of “Three-Have Animals” (animals with economic, scientific, or medicinal value), and 21 species under provincial protection. The animal species are predominantly from the South China region, with the Oriental realm being dominant.

III. Nature of the Reserve and Protected Objects

The Lanke Mountain Nature Reserve aims to protect the transitional forest ecosystem, rare and endangered animal and plant resources, and their ecological environments. It serves as a provincial-level forest ecosystem-type nature reserve integrating multiple functions such as conservation management, scientific research, public education, and sustainable ecological utilization.

The objects of protection are:

1. The South Asian tropical to tropical transitional monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest ecosystem.

2. Nationally key protected rare and endangered animal and plant resources.

3. The ecological environment of the junction between the lower reaches of the Xijiang River and the Pearl River Delta.