Tibetan antelope at the Area of Yixikepati Management Station in The Argin Mountain National Nature Reserve on March 25, 2022. Photo by Shang Peng
The reporter learned from the Management Bureau of the Arjin Mountain National Nature Reserve that with the increase in the management and protection of the reserve, the number of rare ungulate wild animals on the three plateaus of Tibetan antelope, wild yak and Tibetan wild donkey has increased year by year, and has exceeded 110,000.
In recent years, the Administration of argin mountain national nature reserves has continued to cooperate with scientific research institutes to monitor the number of ungulate populations in the three major areas by means of unmanned aerial vehicles, infrared cameras, and patrol line statistics. As of April this year, monitoring found that compared with 10 years ago, the number of Tibetan antelopes has increased from 43,000 to the current 49,500, wild yaks have increased from 0.9 million to about 12,000 at present, and Tibetan wild donkeys have increased from 38,000 to more than 50,000 at present.
"After 40 years of wind and rain, with the efforts of several generations of cadres in the reserve, the integrity and authenticity of the plateau ecosystem of the reserve have been effectively protected." Meng Kai, secretary of the party committee and deputy director of the Argin Mountain National Nature Reserve Management Bureau, said that in recent years, the Arjin Mountain National Nature Reserve Management Bureau has strictly implemented the access system and successfully summarized the management mode of the reserve that combines "fixed stationing, mobile patrol and remote monitoring"; deepened the "four-linked" cooperation mechanism with the Sanjiangyuan National Park, the Tibet Changtang Nature Reserve and the local government to guard the important ecological security barrier in the northern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau on the mainland.
In addition to Tibetan antelope, wild yak and Tibetan wild donkey, there are 338 species of rare wild animals such as snow leopards, black-necked cranes, bearded vultures, Tibetan pan sheep, brown bears, rock sheep, snow chickens and vultures, including 17 species of national first-class protected animals and 31 species of national second-class protected animals. The suitable habitat area of the three major ungulates is 25,300 square kilometers.
Meng Kai said that at present, the application for the creation of Kunlun Mountain National Park has been officially approved by the National Park Administration, and will take this as an opportunity to practice the idea of ecological civilization construction in the new era, take the development concept of "green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains" as the "outline" and "soul" of the work of the protected area, gradually improve the institutional system, and guard the green ecological barrier of Kunlun Mountain.
Black-necked cranes in the Tula Ranch area of the outer protected area of the Argin Mountain National Nature Reserve on January 3, 2022. Photo by Shang Peng
Tibetan wild donkeys at the edge of the Kumukuri Desert in the Arjin Mountain National Nature Reserve on February 18, 2022. Photo by Shang Peng