Mountain park hits the highs for environmental protection

Visitors take photos in the park in May. [Chen Ying/Xinhua]

Varied flora and fauna

The park's management bureau said that 2,799 species of higher plants in 269 families have been recorded in the facility, which has a rich and diverse mix of subtropical, temperate and tropical plants. It is also famous for its large number of orchid families, with 78 species from 32 families reported in the park so far, such as Yoania japonica Maxim and Lecanorchis japonica Blume.

Scientists have said that some trees in the park are almost 1,000 years old, and they "veil the park in mystery". For example, one Cassia tree that stands in the grounds of the Wuyi Temple, where ancient emperors worshipped the gods, can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279), making it about 880 years old.

In addition to the diverse plant life, the park's sophisticated landforms and varied ecosystem provide good habitats for many rare animals and endangered insects. That has seen it described as an "insect world", "a key to opening up the world of amphibians and reptiles", and "a heaven for birds".

According to academic surveys of the species in the park, the 558 recorded wild vertebrates account for about 33.3 percent of the total in Fujian, while insect species in the park account for 20 percent of the national total of 6,849.

Also, 115 species — out of 7,407 wild animals living in the park — are listed as endangered and are under State-level protection. They include the black muntjac, a type of deer that has white stripes on its tail and a light summer coat that darkens in winter.

Moreover, 74 species endemic to China, such as the Chong'an mustache toad and the Chung-an ground lizard, live exclusively in the park.

The facility is also home to abundant valleys and rivers, so it has a diverse range of aquatic life, including zooplankton, various fish species and benthic life forms, which are organisms that live at the bottom of deep lakes and rivers.

About 104 reptile and amphibian species, such as the Chinese soft-shell turtle and the Chinese giant salamander, have also been recorded in the park.