Biodiversity Diary a trip to Xinjiang — John MacKinnon
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Moon Bay, Kanas River
Roadside camels
Complex strata of Pamirs
Wind farms
Bogeda Mountain BIODIVERSITY
Sand mountain DIARY
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Xinjiang – China’s Wild West The flight to Xinjiang is long, and one passes over seemingly endless deserts and mountain ranges. Finally the eastern extension of the snowtopped Tianshan range with its pinnacle peak of Bogeda (5,445 m) warns that we are nearing our destination. The plane flits through a gap in the mountain chain to level out on the northern side of the range and finally lands on the dusty runway of Urumqi airport. I am excited to reach a new part of the world but somewhat saddened by my first impressions. There are mist nets beside the runways to protect planes from birds. Some tens of sad innocents are slowly dying in tangled knots of the un-tended nets.
Children wait in the market
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Biodiversity Diary ECBP Newsletter Supplements October 7 – 18, 2009
With my Canadian partner World Heritage expert James Thorsell, I am on a flying visit to review several alpine lakes with a view to defining a World heritage nomination. The province is quiet after the riots of July and there is still a block on internet communication but we get VIP treatment and are whisked between fantastic banquets to see some of the most beautiful spots in this huge frontier province. ECBP has three projects working in Xinjiang – a wetlands project to protect the peatlands in Altay mountains region, a broader project on governance case studies and an agro-biodiversity project with project sites in the oasis of Kashgar and in Altay lowlands.
Sheep and Kashmir goats
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A land of mountains, rivers, grasslands and glaciers First stop is the Heavenly lake of Tianshan, sparkling and clear in the late autumn cool. We are treated to entertainment on a gaudy houseboat that looks rather out of place on the otherwise tranquil blue of the lake. Uygur girls perform traditional dances and on all sides the mountains rise to the clear blue sky. I would like to explore but we have a tight schedule.
Tianchi Lake-
Tianshan at dusk
Next stop the flight across the Junggar desert to Altay, more dead birds in nets, and a drive north through the arid foothills. We stop to photograph herds of camels and goats then head on through increasingly green woods and forests towards the deservedly famous beauty spot of Kanas Lake. A photo stop at the Moon Bay bend in the deep blue river is a must on the itinerary.
Tianchi stream tumbles down hill
Glaciers of the Tianshan BIODIVERSITY
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We stay is style in a new government guest house across the pretty Kanas river from the shabby village of the Tuwa ethnic minority. These are a small group of Mongolian origins who graze cattle and horses in the hills in summer but had
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Autumn tints
Tranquil lake
The me lting of glac iers wi ll re duce w ater s upplies for many communities
Tuwa village
Red squirrel
Whiteriver Peduncularis Kanas scene
Glacier fed stream
brought their herds down to the valley for the winter. We are treated to butter tea and strange music played on a reed nose-flute. We take another boat trip, horse-riding and walks through the forests. We were told it was more beautiful a week earlier when the leaves were golden but it was still magnificent and I wanted to spend more time in these interesting woods. I felt almost back in Europe with house sparrows, robins, red squirrels and grey – Kanas Lake in autumn headed-
Boating on Kanas
woodpeckers. In the mountains we hear snow-cocks calling and see an eagle circling high overhead. At the head of the lake there is a long glacier and over the crest lie the northern slopes of Altay in Mongolia and Russia. This whole area could form a magnificent three country transfrontier protected area.
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Of lakes and mountains To the west a fourth party could be added for the Altay mountains extend into Kazakstan.
Red squirrel with cone
South of Kashgar we drove through stunning red mountains, past snow capped mountains made of sand reflected in tranquil waters. We saw herds of Yaks side by side with camels and the ubiquitous little white Kashmir goats that make money for their owners but continue to destroy the fragile vegetation of these arid regions. The size of the province became more apparent when we flew west to visit the great lake of Sayaram where we feasted in a large Mongolian yurt, enjoyed the singing of local ladies
Flock of geese at Sayaram
Whooper swans resting by river
Mute swans on Sayaram
Willow flowers by river
Grey-headed woodpecker
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Legacies of Mongolian past
Mute swans on Sayaram Lake
headed gulls rested around the lakes. A pair of grey herons shifted lazily to the far bank and flocks of alpine choughs rode the Home of the camels thermals with shrill cries. Up in the hills live tahr and argali and reportedly elusive snow and were surprised to be offered roast turkey on leopards though local herdsmen take their Canadian thanksgiving day ! Out on the lake a domestic goats to even the remotest pastures cold wind made small waves and flocks of mute and I wonder how many of the native swans bobbed on the surface among hundreds of ungulates still survive in this wild frontier ducks and wild geese. In summer the grasslands land. around the lake as a mass of flowers and large numbers of cattle and horses and grazed. Close to the borders of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan we visited our final lakes under the great spiraling dome of glaciers known as Muztagata (7509 m). Pin-tail ducks and brownSayaram Lake
Cute culprits of degradation
Pied wagtail
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Yaks and glaciers
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Pintail ducks
Xinjiang is larger than most European countries and contains China’s largest and most varied forms of desert types – sandy, stony, high altitude. It is also traversed by several of the world’s great mountain ranges – Altay, Tianshan, Kunlun and Pamir/ Karakoram. It forms the historical link between China, India and the Mediterranean countries. It has a wealth of natural and cultural heriAlpine chough
Konghur shan rises 7649m— one of the highest peaks in China.
tage. It certainly merits recognition on the list of world heritage sites and we were happy to be invited to share some of these wonders and advise the local government on how to better protect and promote their sites.
Glaciers creep down from the icefields
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Where Pamirs meet the Kunlun
Muztagata’s glaciated head shines beyond the twinkling Kalakule Lake
Yaks graze in the wide mountain landscape Brown-headed gull
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Cultural riches
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Honesuckle seeds
Thin green lines of poplar form western ramparts of the great green wall.
In the markets of Kashgar and the depression of the Turpan basin we were introduced to much of the mixed culture of the region – desert oases, ancient trade routes, grapes and winemaking, strange wells and underground water systems, mosques and history. Uygur men make brassware for the bazaar. All a contrast to modern highways and wind farms spreading across the province.
Camel to ride
Rich harvest
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The smell of sweet fruits
Grapes for wines and raisins
Melons and melons Pomegranites
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EU-China Biodiversity Programme Add: Rm. 503, International Conventions Building, No.5 Houyingfang Hutong, Xicheng District, Beijing. 100035, P.R. China Fax: (+8610) 8220 5421 Email: info@ecbp.cn