HAVEN OF FAUNA & FLORA

The Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, refers to the area in the northwestern part of Yunnan province featuring three rivers:

Jinsha (upstream of the Yangtze)

Lancang (known as Mekong outside of China) and

Nujiang (known as Salween in Myanmar)

They run roughly parallel, north to south, for more than 170 kilometers. The shortest distance between the Jinsha and Lancang rivers is 66 km, while between Lancang and Nujiang it is less than 19 km.

With an altitude ranging from 760 meters to 6,740 meters above sea level, the site includes 15 protected areas categorized into eight geographical clusters.

Here are 10 iconic species found in the area:

01 YUNNAN SNUB-NOSED MONKEY

The Yunnan snub-nosed monkey lives at the highest altitude of any primate, apart from humans. The primary forests, 3,000 meters above sea level in Yunnan Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve, are its main habitat. Recognized by its pink, pouting lips and "punk hairstyle", it's a social animal with strong family bonds and is considered to be the "elf of the snow mountains".

02 MECONOPSIS PSEUDOVENUSTA

Meconopsis pseudovenusta is a flowering plant found in the high-altitude meadows or on talus slopes. To protect itself from ultraviolet rays, the flower needs to accumulate more anthocyanidins, hence appearing blue or purple. Because of the adverse high-altitude environment, most plants of the Meconopsis genus conserve energy by blossoming only once in a lifetime.

03 MISHMI TAKIN

The Mishmi takin is an endangered goat-antelope of the Bovidae family. In the Gaoligong Mountains, it's the largest wild animal species. With "face of a horse, horns of a deer, hooves of an ox, tail of a donkey", it is considered one of the country's most precious animals living in mountain forests alongside the giant panda and snub-nosed monkey.

04 SAUSSUREA MEDUSA MAXIM.

Saussurea medusa Maxim. is a precious flowering plant in the Saussurea genus in the Asteraceae family. It grows on the alpine subnival belt, an area just below the permanently snow-covered zone and the highest of all terrestrial ecosystems inhabited by seed plants. Its furry leaves serve to absorb and preserve warmth as well as protect the pollen.

05 EMERALD DRAGON LIZARD

The emerald dragon lizard is a squamate reptile unique to China. Discovered in 2016, it has only been found in the dry-hot valleys of Dechen and Weixi counties in northwestern Yunnan province. With a length of less than 30 cm, the males are marked by a bright emerald color, while the females are mostly yellowish or grayish brown.

06 APRICOT ORANGE PAPHIOPEDILUM

This is an endangered flowering plant of the orchid family. In northwestern Yunnan, it grows in rock crevices or well-drained stony meadows, 1,400 to 2,100 meters above sea level. Its flower bud appears green and gradually transforms to a canary yellow in blossom.

07 SCLATER'S MONAL

Sclater's monal, a pheasant also known as the crestless monal, is famous for the male's dark upper plumage with iridescence. The females are mostly streaky brown. In the Gaoligong Mountains, the bird lives more than 3,200 meters above sea level and is considered one of Gaoligong's three treasures along with big tree rhododendron and the hoolock gibbon.

08 GAOLIGONG HOOLOCK GIBBON

The Gaoligong hoolock gibbon is a branch of hoolock gibbons unique to the Gaoligong Mountains and first got its name in 2017. A critically endangered animal, less than 200 individuals are known to exist. With their distinctive white eyebrows and long arms, they are able to jump across branches 15 meters apart with speed up to 55 km/h.

09 BIG TREE RHODODENDRON

Big tree rhododendron is the largest of all rhododendrons. Unlike the common azalea shrubs, big tree rhododendron is a critically endangered plant that can grow up to 30 meters. A single leaf can reach a length of 40 centimeters and its pink flowers blossom in clusters of dozens. It is mainly found in forests on the Gaoligong Mountains at an altitude of over 2,000 meters.

10 TAIWANIA FLOUSIANA GAUSSEN

Taiwania flousiana Gaussen is a precious evergreen tree and one of China's first-level protected plants, marked by its longevity and height. A Taiwania flousiana in the Gaoligong protected area, towering 72 meters, was once recorded as the tallest tree in China. In this file photo, researchers with the Chinese National Geography magazine climb the tree to measure its height.