Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve

　　Situated at the junction of Shanghang County, Liancheng County, and Xinluo District in Longyan City, Fujian Province, it lies within the main body of the Daihai Mountain range, part of the southeastern slope of the southern section of the Wuyi Mountains, commonly known as the "Eighteen Caves of Meihua." Its geographical coordinates are 25°15′14″N to 25°35′44″N and 116°45′25″E to 116°57′33″E, covering a total land area of 22,168.5 hectares.

　　The Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve boasts an exceptionally advantageous geographical location and extremely rich wildlife resources. To protect its precious forest ecosystem and unique natural landscapes, in May 1985, the People's Government of Fujian Province approved the establishment of the Western Fujian Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve. In September 1988, it was upgraded to a national-level forest and wildlife nature reserve with the approval of the State Council. In February 1992, during the "China Nature Conservation Priority Areas Symposium" jointly convened by the former Ministry of Forestry and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the reserve was designated as a "World Class A Nature Reserve of Global Influence and International Significance" as the "region with the highest number and most active movements of South China tigers." In November 1992, at the second seminar on China’s Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan, the reserve was included in the “Priority Protected Ecosystem List of China” and the “Priority Protected Forest Ecosystems” of the “China Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan” due to its “rich species diversity, numerous endemic species, and its position at the convergence of the Central China, South China, and East China floras in the East Asian flora.” It joined the Chinese Man and Biosphere Reserve Network in 1993. In 1998, in accordance with the spirit of the State Forestry Administration’s “Notice on Further Strengthening the Management of National Nature Reserves,” the Longyan Municipal Party Committee Organization and Establishment Committee approved the renaming of the Fujian Meihua Mountain National Nature Reserve Management Office to the “Fujian Meihua Mountain National Nature Reserve Administration.”

　　The administration is currently a sub-county-level institution. It comprises ten departments at the section and deputy-section levels, including the Administration Office, Forest Resources Management Division, Science and Technology Division, Operation and Management Division, Forest Public Security Sub-bureau, Forest Fire Prevention Office, Nature Conservation Management Station, and the South China Tiger Breeding Research Institute. The administration currently employs 32 staff under the national public ownership system, 10 contract workers under the same system, along with 4 staff directly under the city forestry bureau and 18 directly affiliated forest police officers. Together, they are dedicated to the protection of natural resources.

　　The Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve features a uniquely distinctive geographical location and landform. Its landforms are predominantly mid-mountain, with high elevations in the center and lower peripherally, higher in the west and lower in the east. Mountainous areas account for 96.3%, with small portions consisting of hills and basins. There are over 46 peaks exceeding 1,000 meters in elevation, with the highest peak, Shimen Mountain, reaching 1,811 meters. The geological strata are mainly composed of intrusive granite. The climate exhibits transitional characteristics from the mid-subtropical to the south-subtropical zone, with an average annual temperature of 13–18°C, a frost-free period lasting up to 280 days, and an annual precipitation of 2,000 mm. With a long rainy season and abundant rainfall, it is one of the key storm centers in Fujian Province. Due to geological fault structures and deep water erosion, a radial water system centered around the highest peaks—Shimen Mountain and General Mountain—has formed. It is one of the main sources of Fujian’s three major river systems: the Min River, Ting River, and Jiulong River, earning it the title “Land Where Waters Flow to Three Rivers” and the reputation as the “Mother Mountain of Eight Fujians.”

　　Owing to its unique geographical location and landform, the Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve demonstrates remarkable biodiversity and natural landscape diversity. According to scientific surveys and forest resource statistics, the reserve hosts 1,628 species (including varieties and subspecies) of vascular plants from 734 genera and 184 families, comprising 107 fern species, 1,499 angiosperm species, and 22 gymnosperm species. There are 362 species of terrestrial vertebrates, accounting for about 1/7 of the national total, including 66 mammal species, 198 bird species, 69 reptile species, 29 amphibian species, 65 fish species, and over 2,000 insect species. Many of these wild plant and animal species are ancient, rare, or endangered. Statistics show that there are 18 nationally protected plant species, including 3 Class I protected species—Bellflower Tree, Southern Yew, and Water Shield—and 15 Class II protected species such as Eucommia and Tulip Tree, along with 53 provincially protected rare and endangered plant species. There are 45 key protected animal species, including 8 Class I protected species such as the South China Tiger, Leopard, Sika Deer, and Python, and 37 Class II protected species such as the Asiatic Black Bear, Pig-tailed Macaque, and Golden Cat. With its abundant species and rich resources, Meihua Mountain has been praised by experts from China and abroad as the “Green Jade in the Desert Belt” and a “Gene Bank of Flora and Fauna.”

　　In 1991, after conducting a field survey on the wild South China Tiger population in Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, and Jiangxi provinces, WWF experts and the National Forestry Department concluded: “The South China Tiger, a unique tiger species of China, not only survives and reproduces in Meihua Mountain but also remains highly active. The Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve is the region with the highest number and most frequent activity of wild South China Tigers.” They lauded Meihua Mountain as the “Hometown of the South China Tiger” and its “Most Ideal Habitat.” Consequently, the South China Tiger has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the world’s most endangered species. In 1998, with strong support from the Longyan Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, the Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve pioneered a national project to rescue the South China Tiger. Six breeding tigers were introduced from Suzhou and Guilin, and efforts for wild breeding were initiated. Additionally, over 14 million RMB were invested to establish the nearly 7,000-acre “China Tiger Park” in Mafang Village, Buyun Township, Shanghang County, at the edge of the reserve. Over three years, through meticulous breeding techniques implemented by researchers at the Tiger Research Institute, male Tiger No. 5 and female Tiger No. 4 successfully produced two litters totaling six cubs in 2001 and 2002, with five surviving. The continuous increase in the South China Tiger population marks a breakthrough success in high-altitude free-range breeding and conservation.

　　Relying on the South China Tiger wild breeding base, Meihua Mountain’s “China Tiger Park” has also established a grazing area for herbivorous (even-toed) animals. The park currently houses over 30 animals, including Sika Deer, Yellow Muntjac, and miniature horses, along with freely roaming rare species such as Rhesus Monkeys, Peacocks, and Swans.

　　The establishment of the Meihua Mountain Reserve’s ecological public welfare forest protection project, the South China Tiger habitat protection project, and the construction of the “China Tiger Park” have not only made this “Green Jade in the Desert Belt” shine brilliantly. The reserve’s unique landscapes and rich, rare resources have also become an optimal site for teaching, internships, and scientific research for teachers, students, and researchers, as well as an ideal leisure and recreational destination for both domestic and international tourists.