Horqin National Nature Reserve

　　    Horqin National Nature Reserve is located in the northeastern part of the banner, with geographical coordinates ranging from 44°51′42″ to 45°17′36″ north latitude, and 121°40′13″ to 122°14′07″ east longitude. It borders Tuquan County to the north, neighbors the Xianghai National Nature Reserve in Jilin Province to the east, is bounded by the Huolin River to the south, and lies 27 kilometers west of Bayan Hushuo Town, the seat of the banner government. The reserve stretches approximately 46 kilometers from north to south and about 44 kilometers from east to west, covering a total area of 126,987 hectares. It is a comprehensive nature reserve aimed at protecting the Horqin grassland, wetland ecosystems, and rare bird species such as cranes and storks that inhabit the area. Within the reserve, the original natural landscape of the Horqin grassland is relatively well-preserved. Here you can find natural secondary forests of elm dominated by Ulmus pumila and Ulmus macrocarpa, shrub-grasslands characterized by Prunus sibirica and Stipa grandis, as well as a variety of wetland types.

　　    The most distinctive landscape features of the reserve are the mosaic distribution of sandy dune vegetation and low wetland vegetation. On the sandy dunes, sparse woodland and shrub communities are the main representatives, while on the flat, chestnut-calcium soil sands, shrub-grasslands dominated by Prunus sibirica and Stipa grandis are widely distributed. In the low wetlands between the sand dunes, swamp vegetation and meadow vegetation are arranged in a ring-like pattern. Within the limited space of the reserve, the main representative types of the Horqin grassland are concentrated.

　　    Three rivers converge within the reserve: the Huolin River to the south, and the Emut River and Tuquan River to the north. All three form large areas of reeds and marsh-wetlands as headless rivers.

　　    Due to the complex ecological environment types within the reserve—including wetlands, grasslands, shrubs, sparse woodlands, sandy land, and more than 40 large and small water bodies scattered throughout—the area provides an optimal natural habitat for the nesting and breeding of numerous bird species. There are over 225 species of birds in the reserve, including 8 species under national first-class protection: the white stork, black stork, red-crowned crane, Siberian crane, white-naped crane, great bustard, golden eagle, and Steller’s sea eagle. There are also 34 species under national second-class protection, such as the hooded crane, demoiselle crane, common crane, whooper swan, Eurasian spoonbill, Eurasian bittern, Chinese pond heron, greater white-fronted goose, little gull, and 18 species of raptors. Among these, the white stork, red-crowned crane, Siberian crane, and white-naped crane are listed as endangered species in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), while the Eurasian spoonbill and great bustard are categorized as severely threatened species worldwide. Among these rare species, cranes and storks hold a particularly important place in the reserve’s biodiversity. There are 15 crane species in the world, 9 of which are found in China—more than in any other country. Horqin National Nature Reserve is home to 6 crane species, accounting for 40% of the global crane species and 66.7% of China’s crane species. Among them, the white-naped crane and common crane are migratory species in this area, while the red-crowned crane, white-naped crane, and demoiselle crane breed here in significant numbers.

　　    The reserve has three core zones: the Ecosystem Core Zone, Species Protection Core Zone, and Rare Bird Breeding Core Zone, covering a total area of 17,800 hectares.

　　    In 1985, the Xing’an League Administrative Office approved the establishment of the nature reserve. In May 1994, the People’s Government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region approved its upgrade to a regional-level nature reserve. On November 6, 1995, the State Council approved its elevation to a national-level nature reserve and established the Horqin National Nature Reserve Administration.