Hengduan Mountains

The Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areasis a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yunnan province, China. It lies within the drainage basins of the upper reaches of the Yangtze (Jinsha), Mekong (Lancang) and Salween (Nujiang) rivers, in the Yunnanese section of the Hengduan Mountains. The protected areas extend over 15 core areas, totaling 939,441.4 ha, and buffer areas, totaling 758,977.8 ha across a region of 180 km by 310 km. Here, for a distance of over 300 km, three of Asia’s great rivers run roughly parallel to one another though separated by high mountain ranges with peaks over 6,000 meters. After this area of near confluence, the rivers greatly diverge: the Nujiang River empties out at Moulmein, Burma, into the Indian Ocean, the Mekong south of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, into the South China Sea and the Yangtse flows into the East China Sea at Shanghai. Selected nature reserves and places of scenic beauty in this unique region were collectively awarded World Heritage Site status in 2003 for their very rich biodiversity and outstanding topographical diversity.In its description, UNESCO mentions: “(It) may be the most biologically diverse temperate region on earth” and “An exceptional range of topographical features – from…

The Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areasis a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yunnan province, China. It lies within the drainage basins of the upper reaches of the Yangtze (Jinsha), Mekong (Lancang) and Salween (Nujiang) rivers, in the Yunnanese section of the Hengduan Mountains. The protected areas extend over 15 core areas, totaling 939,441.4 ha, and buffer areas, totaling 758,977.8 ha across a region of 180 km by 310 km. Here, for a distance of over 300 km, three of Asia’s great rivers run roughly parallel to one another though separated by high mountain ranges with peaks over 6,000 meters. After this area of near confluence, the rivers greatly diverge: the Nujiang River empties out at Moulmein, Burma, into the Indian Ocean, the Mekong south of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, into the South China Sea and the Yangtse flows into the East China Sea at Shanghai. Selected nature reserves and places of scenic beauty in this unique region were collectively awarded World Heritage Site status in 2003 for their very rich biodiversity and outstanding topographical diversity.In its description, UNESCO mentions: “(It) may be the most biologically diverse temperate region on earth” and “An exceptional range of topographical features – from…