- Hengduan Mountains
The Hengduan Mountains (Chinese: 横断山脉;
Pinyin : Héngduàn Shānmài) is a mountain range inChina (Latitude: 22°~32°05'N, Longitude: 97°~ 103°E) in the south-eastQinghai-Tibet Plateau . The mountain is situated inSichuan province,Yunnan province and the easternTibet Autonomous Region . The south end of the mountain range forms the border betweenBurma and the China. The Hengduan Shan chain of mountains runs roughly north to south, defining the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau.Largely covered in
subalpine conifer forest s, elevations range from 1,300 to 4,000 meters. The dense,pristine forest , the relative isolation and the fact that most of the area remained free fromglaciation during theice age s provides a very complex habitat with a high degree ofbiological diversity . This mountainous region is home to the rare and endangeredGiant Panda . Other species native to the mountains are theChinese yew ("Taxus chinensis") and various other rare plants, deer, and primates.Environmental groups have recognized thisecoregion as being threatened by "a growinghuman population and the resulting demand fornon-timber forests andwildlife products for medicinal and other uses". [http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/ecoregions/hengduanshan_coniferous_forests.cfm "Ecoregions" at panda.org] ]ee also
*
Global 200
*World Wildlife Fund (WWF)References
External links
* [http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/china/map/m2632995/hengduan_shan.html Traveljournals.net description of Hengduan Shan]
* [http://www.biodiversityscience.org/publications/hotspots/MountainsofSWChina.html Detailed description of area by David E Boufford, Peter Paul van Dijk and Lu Zhi of "Biodiversity Science"]
* [http://hengduan.huh.harvard.edu/fieldnotes Biodiversity of the Hengduan Mountains Region, China]
* [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/flower/hinkley.html PBS NOVA's First Flower discusses botanical diversity in the Hengduan Shan]
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