IUCN Management Category IV (Managed Nature Reserve)

Biogeographical Province 2.38.12 (Himalayan Highlands)

Geographical Location Situated in the south-west corner of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, at the juncture of the China, Pakistan, USSR and Afghanistan borders. The centre of the reserve lies about 265km south of Kashi (Kashgar). The south-western boundary follows the Pakistan border from the vicinity of Kilik Pass south-eastwards to just beyond K2. The northern and eastern boundaries trace various tributaries of the Yarkant River (Schaller et al., 1987). 35°40'N-37°25'N, 74°30'E-76°50'E

Date and History of Establishment Established as a nature reserve in 1984.

Area 1,500,000ha. According to Schaller (1987), the area is 1,400,000ha. Taxkorgan is contiguous to Khunjerab National Park (226,913ha) in Pakistan.

Land Tenure State

Altitude Ranges from below 3,000m to the peak of K2 at 8,611m.

Physical Features The reserve is mountainous, about half of it is above 4,500m, including the northern flanks of the Karakoram, the western edge of the Kunlun Shan, and eastern rim of the Pamir Mountains. It is drained by the Yarkant River and its tributaries. This flows north through the eastern part of the reserve. The western part is drained by the Chalachigu River, a branch of the Taxkorgan River which meets the Yarkant River north of the reserve. The south-eastern section of the reserve includes the Karakoram and extensive glaciers, the Aghil Range and the Oprang (Shaksgam) Valley, a region well described by

Shipton (1938). This area is very remote, whereas the west has been an international travel route for centuries. Flat and in places more than 5km wide, the Taxkorgan Valley was part of the ancient Silk Road which continues into the Chalachigu Valley and over the Mintaka Pass into Pakistan. The westernmost part of the reserve represents mainly 'pamirs', broad valleys and steeply rolling hills above 3,500m and flanked by rugged ranges. Between the eastern rim of the Taxkorgan Valley and the Yarkant River is a complex of mountains, broken cliffs and sharp ridges cut by gorges. Near the junction with the Yarkant River, the Raskam, Mariang and other drainages lie below 3,000m, the lowest part of the reserve. On the eastern bank of the Yarkant are the Taxkuzuke Mountains, a discrete, rough range (Schaller et al., 1987).

Climate Conditions are cool and dry. Mean monthly minimum temperature at Taxkorgan Town (3,090m) to the north of the reserve was -16°C to 17°C during the coldest months of December and January in 1984, and mean daily maximum reached 22-23°C during the warmest months from June to August. Only 75.4mm of precipitation fell in 1984, 81% of it between May and September(Schaller et al., 1987).

Vegetation Much of the terrain is too high or arid to support much vegetation. Below 3,000-3,200m there are usually cliffs, screes, sand and silt, a desert that is so dry that few plants survive except along streams. The only native trees are found in low-lying valleys: willow Salix and tamarisk Tamarix below 3,400m, and cottonwood Populus and birch Betula below 3,300m, a few being as tall as 10m. At 4,400m, near the upper vegetation limit, plants grow mainly along seepages and rivulets, and at 4,500m bare rock dominates, although hardy species of Rhodiola, Saussurea and Tanacetum may occur as high as 4,600-4,700m. Vegetation has been greatly modified by human and livestock use (Schaller et al., 1987).

Fauna Three wild ungulate species inhabit the reserve; a fourth, wild ass Equus hemionus (V), once occurred along the upper Yarkant and Oprang rivers, but has not been seen since the 1950s (Schaller et al., 1987). The presence of the species on the Pakistan side of the border has recently been confirmed (Wegge, 1988). According to Schaller et al. (1987), the last known viable population of Marco Polo sheep Ovis ammon polii in China is confined to the western part of Chalachigu Valley, where 48 were recorded in June 1986, but more recent reports suggest that 100-200 winter in the Chopdur area, 2km east-south-east of the Khunjerab Pass (Wegge, 1988). Schaller et al. (1987) estimate the total population in the area, which extends north of the reserve boundary, to be below 150 but more recent information presented by Wegge (1988) suggests that this figure may be too low. Ibex Capra ibex is found in the west of the reserve, where there are an estimated 1,000 animals. Bharal Pseudois nayaur is present in all eastern and south-eastern ranges of the reserve, its distribution overlapping with that of ibex in the north. A few thousand bharal are thought to be present. Among carnivores, brown bear Ursus arctos and wolf Canis lupus (V) are rare. Some 50-75 snow leopard Panthera uncia (E) are thought to frequent the reserve (Schaller et al., 1987, 1988). Information on the avifauna is not available.

Cultural Heritage Part of the Silk Road, an ancient travel route, follows the Chalachiga Valley, along the northern border of the reserve, and over the Mintaka Pass into Pakistan. The Karakoram Highway, completed in the 1960s, now follows this route.

Local Human Population Four communes and a breeding farm, totalling about 7,750 Kirgiz and Tajik people with 70,000 head of livestock, used the reserve at least seasonally in 1985. About 80% of the livestock is sheep and goats and the rest comprises donkeys, horses, cattle, camels and yaks. Where land is flat and irrigation possible, barley and a few other crops are grown. Most fields are at low elevations, although a few occur as high as 3,900m (Schaller et al., 1987).

Visitors and Visitor Facilities The western part is accessible by the Karakoram Highway. There are no visitor facilities.

Scientific Research and Facilities A status survey of large mammals in the western half of the reserve was conducted by Schaller et al. (1987, 1988) in May-June 1985 and June-July 1986. The more remote south-eastern part has been visited only twice by foreign expeditions (Younghusband, 1896; Shipton, 1938).

Conservation Value Taxkorgan and the adjacent Khunjerab National Park in Pakistan constitute one of the most important wildlife areas in the mountains of Asia. Their establishment provides the foundation for an international peace park in the region. Taxkorgan has important populations of large ungulates and carnivores, notably Marco Polo sheep and snow leopard (Schaller et al., 1987).

Conservation Management Management is in its infancy. In 1987 two guards were posted at Mintaka to protect Marco Polo sheep. There are plans to set up a committee of commune, county and forest department representatives to propose, execute and enforce conservation measures (Schaller et al., 1987).

Management Constraints Taxkorgan cannot become a viable reserve until the activities of human residents and their livestock are modified, and hunting is controlled. Overgrazing by livestock and removal of shrubs and trees for fuelwood has greatly reduced the carrying capacity of the land, and turned low-lying slopes and valley flats into desert. Traditionally, ibex, blue sheep and Marco Polo sheep were hunted to supplement the diet, but this has intensified with the construction of the Karkoram Highway. Predators, particularly wolves and snow leopards, kill large numbers of livestock (partly a reflection of depleted wild ungulate populations) and are in turn killed in retribution (Schaller et al., 1987, 1988).

Staff No precise information

Budget No information

Local Addresses

Forest Department, Kashi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

References

Schaller, G.B., Talipu, L.H., Hua, L., Junrang, R., Mingjiang, Q.and Haibin, W. (1987). Status of large mammals in the Taxkorgan Reserve, Xinjiang, China. Biological Conservation 42: 53-71.

Schaller, G.B., Talipu, L.H., Junrang, R., Mingjiang, Q. (1988). The snow leopard in Xinjiang, China. Oryx 22: 197-204.

Shipton, E. (1938). Blank on the map. Hodder and Stoughton, London. (Unseen)

Younghusband, F. (1896). The heart of a continent. John Murray, London. (Unseen)

Wegge, P. (1988). Assessment of Khunjerab National Park and environs, Pakistan. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Unpublished report. 25 pp.

Date October 1988, updated February 1989