Xilinguole Grassland Nature Reserve

Xilinguole Grassland Nature Reserve

Xilinguole Grassland Nature Reserve was established in 1985, and was absorbed by UNESCO as the international network of man and biosphere reserves in 1987, becoming the sixth Biosphere Reserve in China to join the international network. In the 1990s, the reserve joined the biosphere reserve network of China. The total area of the reserve is 1078600 hectares. It was approved as a National Nature Reserve in 1997.

1、 Geographical location

The reserve is located in Xilinhot City, Xilinguole League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

2、 Natural environment

The reserve is located in the Xilin River Basin, where the terrain fluctuates gently. Generally, the altitude varies from 1000 m to 1200 m. The Xilin River Valley is wide. Along the North Bank of the river, there is a fixed sand belt with a width of about 10 km and an east-west trend. The relative height difference is about 10-20 M. the rest of the large areas are low mountains and hills with gentle slopes and open "Tara" among the hills. The climate is temperate semi-arid area. Affected by the mountains of Daxing'an Mountains in the East, it has the characteristics of transition from semi humid to semi-arid area, but most of it is controlled by the temperate continental semi-arid climate. The annual average temperature is - 1 ~ 2 ℃, and the annual precipitation is 300 ~ 450 mm. In July, the average temperature is 18-28 ℃, and the precipitation is 1200-2000 mm. The high temperature and precipitation are carried out simultaneously, which is very beneficial to the growth of grassland forage. The snow cover in winter was sufficient, which accumulated water for the second year. Zakstanor is the only small inland lake in the region.

3、 Plant resources

There are 625 species of higher plants in the nature reserve. Xilinguole grassland is not only a typical grassland in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, but also a typical grassland in China. Typical grassland is the representative vegetation type in nature reserve, and also the main body of grassland ecosystem.

Stipa grandis steppe, a typical steppe, is well developed in the nature reserve and grows tall, generally 1.4-1.5 meters. The most important feature of Stipa grandis is that during the heavy snow period in winter, many forages are covered by the heavy snow, while the withered branches of Stipa grandis stand high above the snow, becoming the main feed for livestock in winter pasture. Therefore, Stipa grandis grassland is listed as the first key protected object.

Another kind of Grassland -- Leymus chinensis grassland is the most precious natural wealth of grassland resources in China. In temperate grassland, its yield ranks the first, and it can produce 4000-6000 kg fresh grass per hectare. Moreover, Leymus chinensis plants are upright and the terrain is open and flat, which is suitable for mechanized cutting. The great advantage of Leymus chinensis is that it is not afraid of drought, waterlogging and saline alkali, and can grow in a variety of soils. Therefore, Leymus chinensis is widely distributed.

The fixed sandy land in the nature reserve has preserved sheet sparse forest, mainly including spruce forest, Populus davidiana forest and birch forest. These sparse forests form a unique landscape on the sand, known as "Desert Park". The forest kept a relatively humid habitat, so herbaceous plants grew luxuriantly and became a better winter pasture for grazing.

In addition to a large area of forage resources, there are many economic plant resources in the reserve. Such as: medicinal plants, fiber plants, starch plants, etc. There are no national protected plants.

4、 Animal resources

The common animals in the reserve are yellow sheep, badger, wolf, fox, marmot, weasel, rodent, eagle, Falcon, sapling, Mongolian lark and other birds and insects.

The national protected animals are yellow sheep, Falcon, etc.

（1） Yellow Goat -- the second class national protected animal

Also known as "Mongolian antelope". Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Bovidae. The body length can reach 1.3 meters. The neck is slender, the tail is short, and the limbs are thin. The horn is short and has a crest on it. The body hair is mainly brownish yellow and the abdomen is white. It mainly feeds on grasses and shrubs.

（2） Swallow Falcon

Birds, Falconidae, body length about 30 cm. The head and the back of neck are grayish black. There is a milky white collar spot on the back of neck. The rest of the upper body is grayish white, and the tail is slightly light. All of them have dark brown feather dry spots. The lower body is brownish white, and the color is rusty from anus to legs. It preys on insects and birds.

（3） Red footed Falcon

Birds, Falconidae, the male body is slate gray, anal, tail covert, brown legs, so the name. Most of the female's feathers are dark gray, and the lower body is brownish white below the chest, covered with dark brown longitudinal lines. The perianal and legs are orange yellow, and they are insectivorous.

（4） Peregrine Falcon

Birds, Falconidae. The larger of the falcons. The male is about 40 cm long. The feathers on the head and neck are black and light blue with black stripes. The rest of the upper body is gray blue. It is white with black spots. Ferocious, flying fast, prey on large birds, hence the name "duck tiger". It's one of the top raptors in the ecosystem's food chain.

Address: kebuer Town, Xilinhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Longitude: 116.187201

Latitude: 43.649285

Chinese PinYin : Xi Lin Guo Le Cao Yuan Zi Ran Bao Hu Qu