The Hengduan Mountains are located in southwest China, where the Tibetan plateau meets the eastern Himalayan Mountain range. Bordered by Myanmar to the west and Yunnan Province, China to the south, the Hengduan Mountains are rich in species and ecosystem biodiversity. Three major rivers cut through these mountains, running within 85 kilometers (50 miles) of each other at some parts. UNESCO World Heritage Foundation has named this area the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Area for its stunning beauty and its biological and cultural importance. Conservation International, an international non-governmental organization, calls the Hengduan Mountains a biodiversity hotspot, one of 34 such places in the world.

Continue reading Conservation Biology In the Hengduan Mountains Sub-alpine Conifer Forests [pdf]