Yarlung Zangbo Daxiagu Nature Reserve (23153)
China (mainland), Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Yarlung Zangbo Daxiagu Nature Reserve
Central coordinates: Latitude: 29.6225, Longitude: 95.3243
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 641 to 7764
Area of KBA (km2): 8773.03162
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Located between Nyainqêntanglha Mountain and the eastern Himalayas, adjacent to India. The IBA includes well-developed glaciers and part of the ‘big bend’ area of the Yarlong Zangbo river (known as the Brahmaputra in its lower reaches), which is the deepest and longest canyon in the world. The vegetation shows prominent zonation, with lowland tropical rainforest and semi-evergreen rainforest (600-1,100 m), broadleaf evergreen forest (1,100-2,200 m), coniferous forest (2,800-4,000 m) and alpine scrub and grassland (above 4,000 m).
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: Non-bird biodiversity: Nationally protected animals include Presbytis entellus, Panthera tigris, Selenarctos thibetanus, Ursus arctos, Selenarctos thibetanus, Ailurus fulgens, Capricornis sumatraensis, Moschus chrysogaster and Naemorhedus cranbrooki.
Delineation rationale: Polygon provided by Conservation International. 2011-09-30 (BL Secretariat): three IBAs of the 2004 Asia IBA inventory, Tangmai (SitRecID 15481; the former CN143; 10,000 ha), Bomi (15483; the former CN147; 420,000 ha) and Mêdog (SitRecID 15490; the former CN148; 242,620 ha) have been merged and expanded as part of the 2009 China IBA inventory to form the IBA Yarlung Zangbo Daxiagu Nature Reserve (SitRecID 27230; CN148; 961,800 ha).