The large altitude disparity between Gongga Mountain and the surrounding areas is unique in

Sichuan and internationally From the main peak to the eastward slope at the Moxi river outlet itis only 2.9km, whereas the altitude disparity is 6,466m. The great elevation differences, the complicated landforms, and the fluctuating climate have created optimal growing conditions formultiple ecosystems. 7he forest ecological system includes sub-alpine dark coniferous forest, mixed coniferous broadleaf forest, Zhongshan coniferous forest, coniferous forest in lower mountains,evergreen broadleaf forest, and sclerophyllous evergreen broadleaf forest. The alpine scrub ecological system mainly appears between 3,600m and 4,300m above sea level and connects the alpine meadow and the coniferous forest. The alpine meadow ecological system is primarily found at 4,LOOM-4,800m above sea level. It can be easily found in watershed and gully areas, is widely distributed, and connects alpine scree with the forest line.

While the alpine scree ecological system is mostly distributed between 4,600m-5,200m above the sea level, connecting the line of firs above it is the monsoon thawing Zone, and the weather there is terrible.

The vegetation belts in Gongga Nature Reserve are complex as there are 14 vegetation types, 67 formations, 151 familia, 688 genera, and 2,472 species. Of these, 26 kinds are non-vascular plants (bryophyte), 123 are ferns, 33 ale different seed-producing plants (gymnospenn), and 2,290 are types of flowering plants (angiosperm). There are also 3 kinds of National First Level Protected Plant,the Chenese Yew or taxus chinwsis, Marie’s Yew or taxus mairei, and the endemic perennial

herbs or kingdonia unfora. As well there are 10 kinds of National Second Level Protected Plants and 260 usable plant types.

This diverse ecological environment provides wild animals with optimal habitats. There are 97 kinds of Mammalia, belonging to 7 different orders and 26 familia. There are 27 kinds of rodents and 26 different carnivores. Of these, 27 are National Protected Mammalia, and 9 are National First Level Protected Mammalia. They are giant pandas, Sichuan snub-nosed monkey leopard, clouded leopard,snow leopard, forest musk deer, alpine musk deey takin, and white-lipped deer. 18 kinds of National Second Level Protected Mammalia, such as Tibetan macaque, Rhesus macaque, dhole, red panda, Asiatic black bear, Lutra, serow, Naemorhedus goral,among many others.

There are also several kinds of birds in the reserve, about 17 different orders] 52 familia, and

326 species. In which, there are Passeriformes of 29 familial 232 species, including 6 kinds Of National First Level Protected birds, they are golden eagle, white-tailed sea eagle, Gypaetus barbatus,Chinese hazel grouse, buff-throated partridge,and Phasianus versicolor. There also are Non-passeriformes of 22 familial 94 species, 27 kinds of National Second Level Protected birds, and 14 kinds of wild birds native to China.

Gongga Mountain is also a famous alpine tourism spot. The majestic Gongga peak is surrounded by 45 mountains, which are 6,000m above sea level. 17% of the mountain area is at an altitude of over 51000m. They are the most dangerous, different, and magnificent alpines in the Hengduan Mountain region of the Qnghai-Tibet Plateau.

The most remarkable scenery is the glacial ecosystem. There are 74 glaciers in this reserve, with an area of 255km². These glaciers originate from both sides of the mountain range, spread like the wings of birds. Yanzi Valley is the largest glacier, with an area of 32.07km2, and a length of 10.5km, Mozi Valley has a length of 11.6km,and an area of26.84krn2. Both are valley glaciers.

Hailuo Valley the glacier valley on the east slope of the Gongga main peak, has a length of 30.7km. It is listed as a national scenic spot, a national forest, and a national geopark. The charming Gongga attracts tourists from all over the world because of its mysterious and ancient forest, the

beautiful azaleas, sun kissed mountains, relaxing hot springs, and the majestic frozen waterfalls.

Besides mountains and glaciers, there are plenty of mountain lakes in the Gongga Nature Reserve: Lieta Lake, Renzong Lake, Bawang Lake,just to name a few. The deep blue and aquamarine waters make the lakes look like jade deposits throughout the mountains.

Researchers have worked hard and placed infrared cameras throughout the Gongga Nature Reserve to capture pictures of the wild  animals in their natural habitats. With more knowledge of what animals are living in the Gongga and how important they are to the ecosystem, the public

can appreciate and advocate for maintaining their natural habitats.

Located in the east part of Jiangsu province, the Yancheng Wetland National Nature Reserve is the largest coastal wetland nature reserve in the east of China, covering the coastal areas of Sheyang, Dafeng, Binhai, Xiangshui, and Dongtai counties and facing the south of the Yellow Sea. The wave collision and tidal effect of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea combined with the sediment from the ancient Yellow River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta form a silt plain coast which is today’s reserve. After a long history of evolution, the wetlands basin was formed. In 2013, the authorized total area is 247,300 hectares, of which the core area is 22,600 hectares and the experimental area is 168,000 hectares. The primary goal of the nature reserve is to protect the fragile tidal wetlands ecosystem and a variety of rare birds, with a main focus on the endangered Grus japonenis, or red-crowned crane.

The reserve is exceptionally rich in wildlife including 402 varieties of birds, 26 kinds of amphibians and reptiles, 284 species of fish, and 31 kinds of mammals. Among them there are 14 wildlife species that are under first class state protection. These are the red-crowned crane, hooded crane, Siberian crane, oriental white stork, black stork, Chinese merganser, leaving gull, great bustard, imperial eagle, golden eagle, white-tailed sea eagles, elk, and sturgeon. There are 85 kinds of wild species under second class state protection, such as river deer, black-faced spoonbill, whooper swans, little greenshank, mandarin duck, grey crane, and many others.

Alongside the reserves abundance in fauna is a corresponding diversity in flora, with a total of 450 kinds of plants. The main vegetation types are plantation, salt meadow, marsh vegetation, aquatic vegetation, rare earth and abandoned vegetation. The native plant species are found mainly in the salt meadow, including reed meadow, imperata meadow, a large spike zoysia meadow, deer hair meadow and mixed meadow. The primary vegetation throughout the nature reserve comprises of reeds, deer hair, Suaeda and Spartina.

Yancheng Nature Reserve is a vital wintering ground for the red-crowned crane, a flagship species in this region. In late October they successfully migrate long distances to the reserve for winter from their breeding grounds in northeast China and along the Russian border to the reserve. In February or early March they return home. During the harsh cold month of January, they often feed in flocks to maintain warmth.

In the center of the nature reserve, red-owned cranes forage primarily in deeper waters than other crane species, and are often found in various salt or freshwater marshes, rice paddies, and cultivated fields. Years of observation data showed the distribution of red-crowned cranes had gradually altered over time from its original large habitat and transitioned to more island locations, reflecting the deterioration and fragmentation of their former territorial boundaries. Wherever they forage, they would return to the edge of Alkaline pond to avoid predators at night.

Aside from red-crowned cranes, numerous other bird species can be found in the reserve. The predominant types are gray cranes and bean geese, but also include egrets, cormorants, white storks, magpie geese, and ducks. Thousands of bean geese and hundreds of grey cranes are often seen jointly feeding in the same wheat fields. They are mainly clustered and active within the buffer zone, an area for the birds in the wetlands, protecting them from human disturbances. Compared with the red-crowned cranes, the grey cranes are more alert and wary. They create a 500 meter perimeter for security and take off in flocks if they feel threatened or are approached by perceived predators. Red-crowned cranes tent to keep a safe distance from humans.

Since the establishment of the Yancheng Nature Reserve, generations of staff have made immense personal sacrifices and worked diligently to protect the beloved red-crowned cranes, to the extent of some even losing their lives. The 1980,s popular song “Red-Crowned Crane Story” described the true story of Xu Xiujuan, a staff member of the reserve who died tragically while attempting to save the red-crowned crane. Its poignant melodies and touching lyrics struck a nation-wide chord in everyone’s hearts. Nestled among the green, leafy willows at the center of the reserve, Xu’s grave rests peacefully. The author of this article came to visit her tomb, bowing deeply to express respect and appreciation. Suddenly a lone, male elk appeared among the reeds. It was the only elk the author observed in the reserve, quite possibly nature’s silent tribute to Xu and her sacrifice.

Although the government and the staff of I reserve have made great efforts to protect this fragile ecosystem, the current level of protection for red-crowned cranes is not adequate. There was a vast contradiction between protection and utilization of coastal economic development between 1988 and 2000 to include reclamation of portions of the wetlands for agriculture, industry, and to provide embankments for fish farming ponds. With the development of these service sectors, the water became polluted, and unfortunately the multiple management offices (forestry, water conservancy, environmental protection, land reclamation, and fishing) are finding it difficult to reach a balance between economic development and environmental conservation. The rapid propagation of Spartina anglica, common-cord grass, an alien or non-native species, reduces the suitable foraging and living habitat for red-crowned cranes. All the above factors have lead to the decrease and degradation of their delicate habitat. The wintering population of red-crowned cranes in the nature reserve dropped from 1,110 in 1999 to the current number of approximately 500. Much needs to be done to protect this beautiful and iconic species and its habitat.

We, Kirsten Nelson and Irina Rasner, served as interns at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding from July 1 to August 9, 2013. As graduate students from the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver in Colorado, USA, we worked under Dr. Sarah Bexell, Director of Conservation Education at the Chengdu Panda Base. Alongside Sarah and other panda base staff, our fellow peer and colleague, Ethan Crawford, joined us. Throughout our time in China, he filmed a documentary based on our work. The focus of this internship was on conservation education in rural areas of Sichuan province, while working in collaboration with other Chinese university students. The internship’s goal was to understand the main issues threatening giant pandas and red pandas, as well as other wildlife in Sichuan.

We felt an enormous honor being two students who earned this internship that focused on educating children to conserve the Earth and all its creatures. We felt trusted by the faculty at the University of Denver to represent our university and to become more knowledgeable in the topics of biodiversity and conservation education. While we spent time in two rural parts of China, we played games aimed at teaching children the importance of ecosystems. We also aided in doing research on human behavior in both the Chengdu Zoo and the Chengdu Panda Base. Our days were filled with raw, non-filtered scents and sights, including seeing beautiful, Asiatic black bears playing at the Moon Bear Rescue Center after having been tortured for the extraction of their bile. We would never have had the opportunity to travel and learn had it not been for the Graduate School of Social Work’s desire to broaden its lens and support students and professors to bridge together theory and practice.

One of our most memorable experiences took place in Laojun Mountain, at the summer camp’s concluding student performance. A group of elderly women, the grandmothers of some of the children, held our hands and said, “You are the first foreigners we have ever met”. This was not stated in a tongue native to us, and yet their words spoke more dearly than if they had been stated in English. The grandmothers invited us to hike with them to the tallest standing Buddha in the world the next morning. Greeting us with freshly boiled potatoes at 7:00am (after we had already eaten at least one bowl of noodles for breakfast), these unbelievable women hiked without a break to this extremely sacred place while unveiling a whole new world to us.

Prior to spending two months in Chengdu, we knew that expecting a Western toilet would be unrealistic, expecting a bowl of noodles to be spicy was a guarantee, and looking extremely different than the majority of people around us would be normal. Having these things told to us, however, was significantly different from living them. The sights, smells and tastes of food never lost its uniqueness, every bowl of noodles was amazing, and every Coca-Cola drink was that much colder than the summer humidity. Our Chinese friends gave us the endearing Mandarin names of “Ma-Ma” and “Hu-Hu”, and these words made us laugh because we could never pronounce them correctly.

After returning home to Denver, Colorado, we felt more aware of how people live, what we are taught to be important as Americans, versus what really is important. We hope that the two months we spent in China will continue inspiring each of us to practice mindful living, as well as enable us to share the stories we lived and heard. We would like to continue being advocates for the issues we learned about in China，as well as our own local conservation obstacles, this will influence our social work practice for the rest of our lives. Our experiences could never be replicated, and we are forever thankful to Sarah, Ethan “Yi-fen”, and the conservation education team at the Chengdu Panda Base. Our memories would be empty without the fantastic group of Chinese-university students, including Wang Lyudiao “Alex”, Lin ‘Amy”, Meng Xiangtao “Jeremy”, Ma Ii “Mary”, Yuqi, and Hairi “Harry”. You are all with us regardless of how much land and water separates our countries. Thank you for your warmth, hospitality, translation skills, hot-pot meals, laughter, games, and overall happiness you brought to our lives.

They are cute, harmless, and so quiet and peaceful. They have one of the best protective mechanisms in the world, but they are no match for the cruelty of humankind.

The world’s 300+ living tortoise and freshwater turtle species are an amazing success story of the natural world. Turtles and tortoises have existed for nearly 300 million years, long before many dinosaurs walked the Earth! Turtles and tortoises with their remarkable shells have remained relatively unchanged through time and are a source of fascination and admiration. These creatures are long-lived and slow to reproduce. When they do reproduce, very few survive to adulthood. These traits make turtles especially vulnerable to the threats posed by human exploitation. About half of their more than 300 species are now threatened with extinction.

Threats

Turtles and tortoises around the world are collected, eaten, traded, sold and exploited in overwhelming numbers. They are used for food, pets, traditional medicine, and decoration. Eggs, juveniles, adults, and body parts all are used. Their habitats are being increasingly fragmented, destroyed, developed, and polluted.

Human activities are endangering many turtle and tortoise species, while driving others into extinction. We are the problem so we must be part of the solution. Without concerted protection, many of the world’s turtles and tortoises will become extinct in the next few years and will be lost forever.

Facts

All of Asia’s 90+ turtle and tortoise species are now of conservation concern, and more than half of title freshwater turtle species are considered endangered by the World Conservation Union.

The flow of turtles and tortoises into the food, pet, and traditional medicine markets of China continues at an alarming rate. Due to the lack of enforcement of existing regulations, exact numbers are difficult to determine, but the trade is estimated in tons of turtles per day and millions of turtles per year.

Chengdu-Working to Save Turtles

Research: During the fall of 2002, visitors to the Chengdu Zoo were interviewed about their use of turtles and tortoises and about how best to protect them. 42% of those surveyed had bought turtles and tortoises in the past. Of these, 21% had bought turtles for food, 69% bought them for pets, and 10% for medicinal purposes. Think about what this means to turtles and tortoises when you consider the number of people living in China. When asked about protecting turtles and tortoises, most thought that both better protection in the wild as well as stronger enforcement of habitat protection laws were needed. Many also said that more conservation education was needed. This means that the people of Chengdu care about turtles.

Weekly market surveys over one year in Chengdu revealed that captive breeding was the source of many species seen in markets, but that rare species were still being taken from the wild. The living conditions for turtles on farms in markets are deplorable, filled with suffering, malnutrition, and disease. The suffering endured by turtles taken from the wild and shipped all over the world in crates with no food, water, light, grass, or peace is unforgiveable. Sellers consistently told us that the desire for turtles seemed endless, both for food and pets. Only we can make a difference for turtles and say no to buying them.

Education

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Chengdu Zoo have conducted many programs since 2001 to increase awareness of the global turtle crisis within China. With financial support from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association’s Conservation Endowment Fund, and the Turtle Survival Alliance, the Chengdu Zoo was proud to be the first Chinese zoo to address the Asian Turtle Crisis through education programs and materials. The project also increased the capacity of veterinary and keeper staff at the Chengdu Zoo to better care for animals at their reptile facility. With support from Toronto Zoo, Canada, Chengdu Panda Base education staff were able to bring the turtle conservation education program to the Guangzhou Zoo. Most recently, the Chengdu Panda Base and Chengdu Zoo, with financial support from Chester Zoo, UK, launched a joint Wildlife Trade Exhibit in which turtles and tortoises were recognized as a focal group of wildlife that is tortured and endangered by the wildlife trade.

Zoologists studying insects and amphibious reptiles find Jianfengling to be a natural laboratory for rainforest biodiversity research. Characteristic steep peaks in the upper part of Jianfengling act as a natural barrier, isolating some species into very particular regions. With an area of260 square kilometers and elevations reaching one thousand meters, many subspecies are quietly preserved in a natural Noah’s Ark.

In June 2013, some like-minded naturalists and I began work on our plan to launch a project called The Ark, a photographic collection of endangered species. Scientists, photographers, and even hunters took part in the project. We set up a studio in the wild and collected as many species as we could capture in pictures. With each living thing we found, from tiny insects to large mammals, we took great care to photograph them as if they were the last ones of their kind created by nature.

Although Jianfengling is a protected rainforest, poaching remains a problem. This has lead to a sharp drop in population among several animals to include the palm civet, giant red flying squirrel, and several types of monkey. Fortunately the number of birds and reptiles remain at healthy levels. One of my missions is to document reptiles including snakes, lizards, and turtles, which is not always easy. Even the most experienced researchers depend on luck to find them. One evening, a beautiful and rare black-banded trinket snake；Elaphe porphyracea suddenly appeared in my line of sight. It quickly hid in the crevice of a rock and I had a hard time figuring out how to retrieve it for a photograph without causing harm. Someone advised using smoke to draw it out, but I thought this might cause it to retreat farther. Finally, a guide placed some woven herbs in the gap and soon the snake slithered out of its hiding place. It took no more than 20 minutes to solve the problem.

The Li ethnic group is the indigenous people of Hainan. They have an amazing method for catching turtles. Usually in rainforest streams it is impossible to find any clues about the whereabouts of turtles. Unlike farmed turtles that stay along the riverbed, aquatic species quietly hide at the bottom among the sediment. Li people put a configuration of plants and snails as the bait in the river shallows to attract four-eyed turtles and the big-headed turtle. Four-eyed turtles got the name from the two spots on the backs of their heads that look like a second pair of eyes. We were able to capture a rare portrait of the turtles by using this indigenous baiting method.

Directing our attention upward to the trees, we occasionally observed the Scolopendr subspinipes mutillan. This large centipede with a potentially painful sting emerges from the leafy canopy while giant grasshoppers chirp in the forest to attract mates. A group of light grey birds dash around madly, collecting Guanglang fruits, to eat. We see palm civets and flying squirrels in the evenings as well as giant squirrels in the daytime.

We enter GPS coordinates for each tree that had mature fruits growing on it to help us find wild animals at night. At an altitude of 800m in the monsoon forest the mammals are the most active from nine to eleven in the evening, so we must seize every opportunity within this period of time. Our flashlights expose glowing eyes in the darkness, letting us know where to set up the cameras. Pupils in nocturnal animals shrink rapidly when subjected to light, giving a ten-second transition period when we have the chance to photograph and record them.

At midnight I find and photograph a pair of bright eyes hiding under a pine tree, though I cannot tell what animal it is from such a long distance. A look at the enlarged picture shows it to be a subspecies of leopard that is found only in Hainan. Compared to the mainland leopard, the Hainan clouded leopard is much smaller, about the size of a puppy, and the subspecies leopard adult is the size of a domestic kitten. It is unknown why there are such significant size differences within the species. The Hainan leopard is also not faring very well.

When something suddenly flies overhead, we suspect that it is a red giant flying squirrel, which makes its home within the canopy of the tall trees. After a bit of investigating, the crew soon discover that their assumptions were correct as they found a male flying squirrel is the largest in its category. When the squirrel unfolds its gliding membranes, the span measures almost a square meter. In just five years, the number of flying squirrels has almost been halved due to the timber industry cutting down many of the tall trees. I am optimistic and think flying squirrels can remain a relatively healthy population if the Jianfengling reserve maintains a certain density of trees.

Our herpetologist finds a king cobra and installs a small radio transmitter under its skin. This transmitter allows us to map the animal’s activities and is used as a reference for certain forest regions. In just six days’ time, this male snake travels 2.3km, averaging about 400m per day. It does not eat at the altitudes of600 to 1,000m, though his ultimate objective is to hunt and feast on other snakes. Once he does, he hides and sleeps in a cave for several days. Three weeks after release, we discover our snake swallowing a beautiful Mandarin rat snake on a path just 18km away from camp. King cobras can represent a diverse degree of regional snakes, a benchmark in the diversity of reptiles. Some of the species here have a complementary relationship with each other.

The most difficult part of creating and filling The Ark is finding each creature and getting a good picture. Additionally, the work cycle is long and grueling. As with most conservation work, time is limited and the schedule is grueling. With hard work and dedication, The Ark will continue to sail, preserving these animals for future generations.

In 1985，Dr. George Beals Schaller successfully completed a five-year giant panda project in cooperation with Chinese experts. Researchers entered the Tibetan Plateau to conduct research on these large wild mammals. During his talking Dr. Schaller shared his collection of fantastic wildlife and nature pictures and stories gathered over the past thirty years.

When his slide show came to a picture of plateau pika, everyone was fascinated by its striking appearance. Dr. Schaller shared a sad story about the fate of this creature. Over 50 years ago, the government decided to eradicate the species because they thought the plateau pika were eating too much grass and causing wider destruction to grasslands. As of 1965, people began killing off the Plateau pika on a large scale by scattering poison across the grasslands. Unfortunately numerous other birds and animals were also killed by this method. Study after study by Chinese scientists has since shown that the plateau pika could actually bring nutrients to the topsoil, which would be advantageous to grassland growth.

Dr. Schaller discussed an interesting local custom. In the past, many local people hunted to earn their livelihood. Red fox were hunted only for children’s hats. He pointed out that this practice did not cause any issues under low population density conditions as he showed a picture of a child wearing the fox hat. But, with the exponential population growth and economic interests increasing, a series of problems arose with this practice.

“It is of great importance for the local people to sponsor spontaneous protection action said Dr. Schaller. The Shan Shui Conservation Center cooperated with local villages and the nature reserve handed over management authority to the local people, giving them responsibility for their land and environment.

There are hundreds of temples in the Ganzi prefectures, so Buddhist monk conservation activity is extraordinarily important in that region. Dr. George Beals Schaller said he would love to go to the temples as he believed Buddhism to be the most environmentally friendly religion.

After the Dr. George Beals Schaller lecture, He Bing, from Shan Shui Conservation Center gave a brief report on the investigation scheduling and founding of snow leopards in Ganzi prefecture, Sichuan province. During the one-month field investigation, Dr. Schaller always asked about climbing mountains at each stop. Although he was 83-year-old, Dr. Schaller was a most exuberant and enthusiastic leader throughout the entire project.

After the report, Dr. Schaller caught up with three old friends he had met in Wolong in the 1980s. One was the famous painter Qiu Xiaoqiu, the second was the writer Tan Kai, and the third was Deng Qitao, former director of the Qingchuan Tangjia River Nature Reserve.

The evening’s passionate, memorable, and vital exchange of ideas was a most wonderful night in Chengdu with Dr. Schaller.

If I want to capture an image of an insect covered in dew, I have to be careful of the fragile droplets that dot their antennae, wings, and legs -they can disappear in an instant. So I move slowly through the undergrowth, careful not to disturb the environment more than I have to. This is true even when I click the shutter button of the camera, everything must be performed carefully.

Early summer can be quite damp, and it is important to dress for the weather and carefully choose what gear to take. I wear clothes that will dry quickly, and boots. As for my gear, this also depends on what the weather is like. However, I always take my Nikon D300S, Tamron macro lens 180, Tamron macro lens 90, and my Sigma 18-50 macro lens. Additionally, I will take a tripod for use in natural light and my Nikon R1C1 macro flash kit. The use of the flash helps to highlight insects’ compound eyes and the shape of the dew. To keep it sharp, use a high shutter speed.

If you leave your photography site in the early evening and want to return the next day, you can mark the position of insects to make it easier to find them early in the morning of the next day. This is because once most insects have settled down for the evening, they will not move during the night. This means that you can easily find them the next day.

When photographing insects be sure not to alter the environment to improve your photos. Do not dig for insects, cut away plants, or anything else that may alter the natural environment. Also take care that you do not harm the insect you are photographing – each life, no matter how small, is important.

Baishuijiang Nature Reserve was established in 1978. Baishuijiang Nature Reserve is one of three giant panda reserves, directly under the State Forestry Administration. Its southeastern terrain is lower than its northwestern areas, with most of its territory between 1,500 to 3,100m.
The highest point of reserve is 4,072m, the lowest is 595m. Most of the reserve’s waterways lay between 1,000 – 2,500m in elevation.

The weather is a transition from north subtropical climate to warm temperate, vertical change clearly. The differences in elevation create six vertical distribution areas for species to live in. The reserve has the largest concentration of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna in Gansu province. There are 5,130 distinct species on record in the reserve：294 macrofungi, 23 mosses, 185 ferns, 1,810 seed plants, 195 spiders, 2,138 insects, 68 fishes, 28 amphibians, 37 reptiles, 275 birds, and 77 mammals.

Landscape in reserve is abundant diversity, like bare rock, alpine meadows, forest, farmland, rivers, lakes, mountains, ponds, in which forest accounted main break position. Plant communities constitute a diverse, it could be divided into 4 Vegetation Type Groups, 10 Vegetation Types, 14 Vegetation Sub-Types, 43 Formations.

Seed plant flora collect three floral element like China-Japan forest flora, China-Himalaya forest flora and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau flora. With the feather of obvious temperate nature, ancient origin, complexity geographical elements and more rare and endangered plants.

Zoogeographical region is located in the collective region of the Palaearctic North China Region and Tibetan area and Oriental region’s South China region. Characterized by dominant Oriental species, complex geographical elements, obvious transitivity, and various kinds of ancient and Relict species.

Giant panda’s food bamboo in Baishuijiang Nature Reserve is rich. Kinds of Fargesia covers about 60,800 mu in total. 1 Genus and 5 species for giant pandas to eat. According to the 3rd National Giant Panda Census, there are 103 giant pandas in it.

It is good place for tourist resorts, scientific investigation and exploring because of pleasant climate, exotic landscapes, a wide variety of rare animal and plants, beauty natural landscape and historical monuments and unique ethnic customs.

Baishuijiang Nature Reserve was seriously influenced in the earthquake 12, May 2008. Six days after the earthquake, two groups from reserve went into forest at the first moment. They had made a follow-up survey on the wild giant panda and other rare animals. They didn’t find a panda dead or injured.

In May, 2010, two years after the Wenchuan Earthquake, reserve authority spend more than 20 days on investigating wildly 106 routes of giant panda. Finally, they discovered 83 traces of giant panda. Among them, there are 66 panda feces, 10 feeding sites, 5 dens and 2 paw prints. The survey showed that giant panda lived well in Baishuijiang Nature Reserve.

Recently the 4 National Giant Panda Census is going on. People will get more information about giant Panda’s life in Baishuijiang Nature Reserve in the future.

The rainy season arrives in Jianfengling in June, and stays through September. The park throughout the rainy season becomes hot and humid, but no month is wetter than August. In August the rivers and ponds in Jianfengling truly come to life. As the rain comes down, it fills and refills the dry riverbed. In a single day the river can rise tens of centimeters or one meter within only several hours. The constant rain drives most of the river areas mammals out of the lowlands and up into the higher altitude alpine forest of the park. This leaves the rainforest to the insects, amphibians, reptiles and other water loving creatures.

Although the area of the river isn’t large, there are more amphibian species here than throughout China’s entire Palaearctic ecozone. This ecozone within China includes the region north of Mt. Qinling. Because the park area is relatively undisturbed, there are rare species that live and are evolving here. Two of these species are the spot-legged tree frog (Rhacophorus leucomystax) and Asiatic painted frog (Kaloulapulchra). During the dry season these frogs hide underground or under rotten wood in order to maintain the moisture in their skin. They also lower their metabolism to its bare minimum. When the rainy season starts, they drill out of the earth to begin the process of courtship and breeding.

Clusters of frog eggs are found not long after in the waters of the park and occasionally on tree branches. When temperatures reach 28 °C the eggs receive their signal to hatch, and tadpoles emerge. The time from laying to hatching is usually one week.

The emergence of the tadpoles does not go unnoticed by the other local residents. Insects and reptiles are eager to snap up the tadpoles. The back swimmers (Notonectidae), so named because they swim on their backs, perform a graceful backstroke as they capture tadpoles in the ponds, before draining them dry with their needle-like mouth. Members of the slightly larger dytiscidae family are more voracious – they eat the tadpoles bit by bit, carefully chewing each mouthful.

A master of the hunt, the South Channa (Channa gachua), is a unique carnivorous fish. This fish is a top level predator that can breathe air, and has specially designed fins that allow it to leave its pond and move across wet land to the next pond. This fish uses the rainy season to its utmost advantage.

There are many fascinating creatures that have adapted to survive in Jianfengling’s dry and rainy seasons, but it is only the rainy season that allows us to witness the relationship between organisms, land, and water.

There are more than 200 wild impatiens species throughout China. Impatiens have a slim and fragile outline with varied shapes and are typically pink, carmine, reddish-orange, purple, white, and variegated flowers, and can be described as delicate as a phoenix, gorgeous as a fairy”.

Discovering impatiens in the wild is not extremely difficult. In the later half of the year, these wild flowers can be easily recognized with their butterfly shaped, soft and tender petals, and can be found in wetlands, near brooks, ditches, or even along the roads of villages. Wild impatiens have curved nectar spurs that contain a sugary-sweet solution that attracts vital pollinators such as bees.Once the insects are enticed, it is a snug fit for the pollinator to push to the nectar, and in the process the pollen is rubbed against their bodies. When the insect travels to another impatiens spur, pollination occurs.

Impatiens genus is the largest genus of this family, which contains more than 900 species. Most of those species are found in the mountains of tropics and subtropics in the old continent and in Africa, while some of them found in Asia, temperate zone of Europe and North America. In China there are more than 220 species that are mainly distributed in the northwest and southwest mountains,especially in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Tibet. Nearly all the impatiens are uncultivated except Impatiens balsamina L. (also called Henna or garden balsam) which is wildly planted in Chinese folklore for admiring and medicine, I. wallerana Hook. t (also called glass jadeite)-a Sudan impatiens commonly planted recent years and I. usambarensis Grey-Wils-an introduction-cultivated Zambian impatiens.