Tumuj National Nature Reserve

　　    Tumuj National Nature Reserve was established in 1996 as a banner-level nature reserve, upgraded to an autonomous region-level nature reserve in February 1998. It is the first nature reserve primarily aimed at protecting the breeding grounds of the great bustard. On July 2, 2002, it was approved by the State Council as a national nature reserve. The reserve is located in Tumuj Town, in the southern part of Jalaid Banner, at the junction of Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces in eastern Inner Mongolia.

　　    It is 50 kilometers from the banner government seat in Yinder Town, 140 kilometers from Qiqihar City in Heilongjiang Province, and 115 kilometers from Ulanhot City. The total area is 948.3 square kilometers, including 53.6 square kilometers of water bodies, 220.6 square kilometers of marshland, and 368.9 square kilometers of grassland. It lies in the transitional zone between the Greater Khingan Mountains and the Songnen Plain, as well as the transition area between China’s temperate grasslands and arid grasslands. The transitional features in geology, landform, and vegetation give the area a unique geographical landscape.

　　    The Tumuj Nature Reserve is divided into three functional zones: the first is the core zone, which features typical grassland and marshland ecosystems, especially habitats and breeding grounds for Class I and II protected species.

　　    The second is the buffer zone, located around the core zone, serving as a buffer and barrier for the core area. The third is the experimental zone, situated outside the buffer zone. It houses the reserve administration, wildlife rescue and breeding centers, a public awareness center, as well as a base for multi-use management and experimental production.

　　    The reserve is home to 309 animal species across 71 families. Among them are 228 bird species, with rare animals including nine Class I protected bird species such as the great bustard, red-crowned crane, and golden eagle.

　　    There are also 36 Class II protected bird species. Six species of cranes alone are found in the reserve, making it one of the areas in China with the highest concentration of cranes, and one of the few remaining breeding grounds for the great bustard, earning it the reputation as the hometown of the great bustard. The reserve is a paradise for birds. The wide waters and vast marsh wetlands in the southeastern part of the reserve have created extensive shallow grassland areas and expansive deep grass zones, where thousands of acres of fragrant reeds sway gently and boundless reed marshes ripple. These provide ample and convenient feeding conditions for many bird species, as well as undisturbed habitats for nesting and breeding. They move in pairs or flocks, sometimes gracefully gliding over the water, other times gathering densely in the blue sky, forming a majestic and serene picture of birds against the blue sky and water. Every spring and autumn, thousands of migratory water birds stop over here.