Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Wetland Nature Reserve

Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Wetland Nature Reserve

The Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Wetland Nature Reserve is a provincial-level nature reserve.

The Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Wetland Nature Reserve is situated in Delingha City, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, in the northeastern part of the Qaidam Basin, within the territory of Delingha City, Haixi Prefecture. Its geographical coordinates are 37°1′ to 37°21′ north latitude and 96°44′ to 97°25′ east longitude, approximately 42 km east of Delingha City. Tuosu Lake covers a water area of 16,748 hectares and is the lowest point in the Delingha Basin; Keluke Lake has a water area of 5,860 hectares, making it the largest freshwater lake in the Delingha Basin, surrounded by multiple valley alluvial fans converging toward it. The total area of the reserve is 115,000 hectares, of which wetlands account for 39,848 hectares, or 34.65% of the total area. The reserve is located in the western part of Qinghai Province, the central part of the Tibetan Plateau, and the desert and semi-desert zone of the eastern Qaidam Basin. Its unique geographical location and diverse habitats, including mountains, plateaus, and basins, provide favorable conditions for the survival and development of rare and numerous wild animals. According to comprehensive scientific surveys, the reserve is home to 32 families, 88 genera, and 159 species (including 7 subspecies/varieties) of algae, ferns, and seed plants. Excluding 2 families, 2 genera, and 2 species of algae and ferns, there are a total of 30 families, 86 genera, and 157 species (including 7 subspecies/varieties) of seed plants, accounting for 30%, 14.0%, and 6.6% of Qinghai’s 100 families, 613 genera, and 2,380 species of seed plants, respectively; and 56.6%, 43.9%, and 37.6% of the broader Qaidam Basin’s 53 families, 196 genera, and 418 species of seed plants.

The reserve and its surrounding areas are home to 30 species of mammals, belonging to 13 families and 26 genera. Among these mammals, the majority are Palearctic species, with only the dhole representing the Indomalayan realm. Of the 30 mammal species, 11 are Central Asian types, accounting for 36.67%, such as the sand fox, Pallas's cat, manul, Tibetan wild ass, goitered gazelle, and long-tailed hamster. In terms of mammal resources, the reserve includes two nationally protected second-class animals: the Tibetan wild ass and the white-lipped deer. There are also ten nationally protected second-class animals: the dhole, brown bear, stone marten, Pallas's cat, manul, lynx, red deer, goitered gazelle, argali, and blue sheep. The reserve currently has 17 fish species, belonging to 4 families and 16 genera, with only 6 being native species. These consist of a single complex of Central Asian mountain fish, specifically the naked carp genus and Gymnocypris genus of the schizothoracin subfamily in the Cyprinidae family, and the plateau fish genus of the Nemacheilinae subfamily. There is 1 amphibian species, belonging to 1 family, 1 genus, and 1 species—only the blotched toad. The reserve has 2 reptile species, belonging to 2 families, 2 genera, and 2 species, namely the Central Asian-type multi-ocellated racerunner and the Gobi viper. Bird resources are an important component of the reserve’s terrestrial vertebrate fauna. Surveys indicate there are 136 bird species, belonging to 15 orders, 39 families, and 87 genera, accounting for 81.62% of China’s total bird species. Among them, there are 5 nationally protected first-class bird species: the Pallas's fish eagle, white-tailed sea eagle, golden eagle, eastern imperial eagle, and black-necked crane. There are also 12 nationally protected second-class bird species: the whooper swan, mute swan, osprey, black kite, cinereous vulture, greater spotted eagle, common kestrel, Eurasian hobby, peregrine falcon, saker falcon, demoiselle crane, and common crane.

The Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Reserve is located at the junction of Keluke Town and Huaitoutala Town, covering four administrative villages: Taosheng Village and Kelukehu Village in Keluke Town, and Baligou Village and Kagetu Village in Huaitoutala Town. There is no permanent resident population within the reserve, but there are 1,971 people living in the surrounding areas, with a population density of 4.79 people per hectare. The ethnic groups include Mongolian, Tibetan, Hui, Tujia, and Han, with the Mongolian population being the majority, numbering about 1,012 people, followed by Tibetans (about 634), Hui (about 245), Tujia (about 57), and Han (about 23), accounting for 51.34%, 32.17%, 12.43%, 2.89%, and 1.17% of the surrounding population, respectively.