Researchers have recently completed a comprehensive three-year survey of the Cangshan Mountains in Dali Bai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province. Long known as one of the country's richest reservoirs of biodiversity, the biome is home to forests, alpine meadows, and thousands of animal and plant species.
The survey, led by the Yunnan Academy of Forestry and Grassland, sheds light on the mountains' biodiversity and intertwined ecosystems.
The researchers used their findings to establish Cangshan's first comprehensive vegetation classification system, identifying 10 vegetation types, 20 subtypes, 79 formations, and 131 plant communities. Ten of the plant communities had been previously unrecorded, including a distribution of monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests.
The expedition recorded 4,600 species of higher plants and 418 large fungi, as well as 578 vertebrate and 787 invertebrate species.
The findings will help guide future conservation, ecological restoration, and environmental education, ensuring that the mountain's forests, rivers, and wildlife continue to thrive.
Jin Zhaoxiang contributed to the video.
