Taiping Mountain Nature Reserve

Taiping Mountain Nature Reserve

Taiping Mountain Nature Reserve

Taiping Mountain Nature Reserve is located at the junction of Guizhou, Hunan, and Guangxi provinces, 55 kilometers from the county seat. Its geographical coordinates are 26°15′30″N, 109°18′28″E. The core area belongs to the Nanbamboo Forest Farm, and the land is collectively owned. The highest elevation is 1,256 meters, and the lowest is 500…

Taiping Mountain Nature Reserve is located at the junction of Guizhou, Hunan, and Guangxi provinces, 55 kilometers from the county seat. Its geographical coordinates are 26°15′30″N, 109°18′28″E. The core area belongs to the Nanbamboo Forest Farm, and the land is collectively owned. The highest elevation is 1,256 meters, and the lowest is 500 meters. The vertical distribution of vegetation is extremely distinct, featuring bamboo forests – mixed bamboo and broadleaf forests – broadleaf primary forests – shrublands – grasslands. As a result, the area is extremely rich in species, with forest vegetation coverage reaching 94%. The total area of Taiping Mountain is 7,558 hectares, including 6,025 hectares of forested land, 595 hectares of shrubland, 344 hectares of shrubby land, 594 hectares of bamboo forest, and 2 villages.

The animal resources of Taiping Mountain are extremely abundant, with birds, snakes, mammals, fish, and other species distributed throughout. Rare animals found here include hedgehogs, Chinese giant salamanders, softshell turtles, jungle cats, tiger keelback snakes, king cobras, golden eagles, Lady Amherst’s pheasants, and silver pheasants.

The vegetation in this area is mainly composed of natural broadleaf forests mixed with bamboo forests, with dominant species including Nanbamboo, Magnoliaceae, Lauraceae, Fagaceae, and Fabaceae. Rare plants found here include Manglietia kwangsiensis, Michelia chapensis, Cathaya argyrophylla, Ginkgo biloba, Bretschneidera sinensis, Ormosia henryi, Ormosia microphylla, Phoebe bournei, and Cyclocarya paliurus.