Xingkai Lake National Nature Reserve

the nature landscape of the wetland in winter
the nature landscape of the wetland in summer
waterfowls in the site
waterfowls in the site

Xingkai Lake National Nature Reserve

  • Country: 
    China
  • Site number: 
    1155
  • Area: 
    222,488 ha
  • Designation date: 
    08-01-2002
  • Coordinates: 
    45°15'N 132°40'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

Located on the south of Sanjiang Plain, in north-eastern China, the Xingkai Lake National Nature Reserve is an inland wetland ecosystem dominated by lakes and swamps. It is representative of the alpine wetland ecosystems along the border between China and Russia. The Site is a tectonic lake and the largest water body in the Heilongjiang river basin. The Sanjiang Wetlands in China and the mixed broadleaf-coniferous forests of the Russian far east, both of great importance for the region’s biodiversity, are interconnected by this Site. Having a reputation as a “natural reservoir”, Xingkai Lake and the surrounding wetlands are very important for biodiversity protection globally. The Site is a refuge for several globally important species such as the critically endangered yangtze sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus), Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) and Baer’s pochard (Aythya baeri); the endangered red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), scaly-sided merganser (Mergus squamatus) and eastern curlew (Numenius madagascariensis); and the vulnerable white-naped crane (Grus vipio), velvet scoter (Melanitta fusca) and Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus). The flood plain formed by Xingkai Lake and its rivers provides a significant stopover and breeding ground for 1.5 – 2 million birds migrating between East Asia and Australia.

Administrative region: 
In Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province, PR China

  • Global international designation: 
    • UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
  • National legal designation: 
    • National Nature Reserve in China - Xingkai Lake National Nature Reserve
  • Last publication date: 
    03-08-2017

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