Burqin Beaver Nature Reserve

Burqin Beaver Nature Reserve

The Burqin Beaver Nature Reserve is located in the Burqin River basin of Qinghe County, approximately 120 kilometers from the county seat. Geographic coordinates: 90°50′21″E, 46°12′05″N, with an average elevation of 1,110 meters. There is an asphalt road leading to the Taxkorgan Port near the reserve station.

The reserve houses a beaver protection station. The station is situated on the southern slope of Aktanchoke Mountain, on the northern bank of the Burqin River in the southeastern part of Qinghe County. The protected area stretches in a belt-like formation along both banks of the Burqin River, with its eastern end close to the China-Mongolia border. Established in 1980 with approval from the Autonomous Region People's Government, the station primarily protects the beaver—an extremely rare animal in the world today—and its natural habitat. The reserve spans 50 square kilometers and also safeguards beavers living in the Qinggil River and Ulungur River.

Beavers are endangered amphibious wild animals (Castor fiber), belonging to the Castoridae family within the order Rodentia. Their fur is glossy, thick, and repels rain and snow, making it ideal for making fur coats and hats. Male beavers have a pair of scent glands on either side of their tails, which secrete castoreum—a substance as renowned as musk, civet, and ambergris. Castoreum is used as a fragrance and fixative in perfumes, as well as a stimulant in medicine.

Also known as the beaver, the animal originally lived in marine environments but gradually adapted over time as its habitat changed, reducing in size to less than one-tenth of its original form. Nevertheless, the beaver remains the largest living rodent species in the world and is often referred to as a living fossil among ancient vertebrates. According to records, beavers can now only be found in very limited areas of a handful of countries, including Canada, the Russian Federation, Mongolia, and China. Within vast China, beavers are only distributed in the Ulungur River system, with the Burqin River being the most densely populated area for the species.