Guangdong Northern China Tiger Nature Reserve

Guangdong Northern China Tiger Nature Reserve

The Guangdong Northern China Tiger Nature Reserve is a provincial-level nature reserve.

The Guangdong Northern China Tiger Provincial Nature Reserve was established in January 1990 with the approval of the People's Government of Guangdong Province (Document No. Yue Ban Han [1990]13). It is located in Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, at the southern end of the Nanling Mountain Range. The geographical coordinates are: Shiping area – longitude 112°58′22″ to 113°02′11″, latitude 24°56′40″ to 25°03′11″; Changjiang area – longitude 113°49′26″ to 114°02′31″, latitude 25°19′50″ to 25°27′25″. The total area is 16,360.8 hectares.

The Guangdong Northern China Tiger Nature Reserve is a wildlife-type nature reserve. The zonal vegetation is subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest. The forestry land covers an area of 14,867.7 hectares, accounting for 90.8% of the total reserve area, with a forest coverage rate of 86.9%. The natural resources within the reserve are well-preserved, and the species diversity is rich. According to preliminary surveys, there are 305 species of vertebrates from 85 families and 27 orders, including 35 species under national key protection (6 species under Class I national protection and 29 species under Class II national protection), and 18 species under key protection in Guangdong Province. The rare snake species, the Mangshan pit viper, has also been found in the reserve. There are 1,133 species of vascular plants from 72 genera and 185 families, including 12 species from 12 genera and 10 families under national key protection.

In order to better protect China’s unique and endangered species — the South China tiger — the reserve, with approval from the State Forestry Administration in 2008, established the South China Tiger Breeding and Research (Base) Center in Shaoguan. The base integrates scientific research, public education, and eco-tourism, and consists of an education zone, a breeding and research zone, and a wild training zone. Covering a total area of 450 mu (approximately 30 hectares), it is currently one of China’s larger and more fully equipped bases for South China tiger breeding and research.