Maolan National Nature Reserve lies in the southeast of Libo County in the Buyei & Miao Autonomous Prefecture, south of Guizhou Province. The Reserve covers an area of 20,000 hectares with forest coverage of 91.59%. As a subtropical original ancient plant kingdom, it is a karst virgin forest rarely seen in the subtropical zone along the same latitude, and is characterized by its wildness, peculiarity and beauty. Established in 1987, Maolan National Nature Reserve was included in the International Man and Biosphere Reserve Network of UNESCO in 1996.
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Maolan National Nature Reserve is located in the central subtropical zone, and karst in various sizes and shapes is very representative, typical and of scientific importance. The varied karst landscapes of the Reserve always attract world attention. In the Reserve, falling leaves pile heavily and average annual precipitation reaches over 1,700 millimeters. Rich rainfall and temperate climate provide favorable conditions for the growing of vegetation there.
Nearly a thousand specimens were collected through the preliminary investigation, among which tree species account for over 500 including most precious species such as ginkgo, Chinese tulip and yew podocarpus, and a variety of Libo bamboo that is unique in China. This dense primitive forest is also an ideal home for wildlife such as rhesus monkeys, musk deer, South China tigers, various amphibians, reptiles, silver pheasant and insects, which are all under the state protection.
The natural vegetation in the Reserve remains lush and thriving and there are plants that have survived from a very early period. High arbors, dense shrubs and various rattans in the Reserve intertwine inextricably. Picturesque stones and rocks due to the hydrologic effect are covered with bryophytes. Many tree roots grow on rocks nakedly and some have already permeated the rocks and become part of them. All these mentioned form the unique doline karst landscape.
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