Dahei Mountain Nature Reserve

Dahei Mountain Nature Reserve

Dahei Mountain Nature Reserve is located in the southeastern part of Aohan Banner, in the central and eastern section of the Nulu'erhu Mountain range of the Yanshan Mountains. Its geographical coordinates are between 120°00′ and 121°31′ east longitude, and 42°00′ and 47°14′ north latitude, covering a total area of 57,096 hectares. The core zone covers 4,238.4 hectares, the buffer zone spans 7,763.4 hectares, and the experimental zone extends over 45,094.2 hectares.

In June 2001, Dahei Mountain was designated as a national nature reserve. This comprehensive hilly and mountainous nature reserve primarily aims to protect a variety of grassland and forest ecosystems, habitats for wildlife, and water conservation areas for the Xiliao River. It boasts complex and diverse biodiversity, characterized by strong representativeness, uniqueness, typicality, and fragility. The reserve plays a significant role in the national effort to preserve biodiversity and holds important value for global environmental evolution research.

The Dahei Mountain Reserve features five vegetation types and 14 formations, mainly including grassland vegetation, forest vegetation, shrub vegetation, semi-shrub vegetation, and meadow vegetation. There are 142 bird species belonging to 81 genera, 41 families, and 16 orders, among which one species—the golden eagle—is under first-class national protection, and 21 species—including the black kite, Eurasian sparrowhawk, Amur falcon, and merlin—are under second-class national protection, with the merlin being an internationally threatened bird. The reserve is also home to 29 mammal species across 13 families and 6 orders, including the Mongolian gazelle, which is a second-class nationally protected animal, as well as 158 insect species from 30 genera and 7 orders. Additionally, there are over 600 species of wild vascular plants from 301 genera and 82 families, along with amphibians, reptiles, a large number of fungi, and mosses, showcasing remarkable biodiversity.