China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Remote region a hive of natural wonders
Nestled in the middle and lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, Metog county in the southeastern part of the Xizang autonomous region boasts a unique vertical climate encompassing tropical, subtropical, temperate and alpine zones, and has long been considered one of the country’s top biodiversity hot spots. It is renowned for its abundant wildlife and plants, with 110 species of mammals, 554 species of birds, 61 species of reptiles, 61 species of amphibians and over 4,500 species of vascular plants, including more than 500 wild orchid species. “The checklist of its birds is longer than those of many provinces in East China,” said Que Pinjia, an ornithologist from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and the Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife. According to the local forestry bureau, 147 animal species and 144 plant species have been placed under State protection. A total of 34 species have been listed as national first-class protected animals, including the clouded leopard, sun bear, large Indian civet, Nepal gray langur and black musk deer. New vertebrate species and even new animal genera have been discovered in Metog in recent years. In 2015, Chinese scientists found the whitecheeked macaque ( Macacaleucogenys) there. In 2021, Alpiscaptulusmedogensis, a mole belonging to a new genus Alpiscaptulus, was discovered in Metog, and more than 80 plant species and variants have been named after the county. Almost every year, there are a few species originally found in the area that are described and published as new species. Last year, there were two new animal species discovered, Soriculus and Soriculus nivatus, five new orchid species and one new primrose,