Abstract:

Aims Native savanna vegetation in large area exists in hot dry valley of Jinshajiang, Yunnan at 27° N. Here a suggestion for establishing nature reserve to protect the savanna vegetation is proposed.

Methods The savanna vegetations in hot dry valleys of Yunnan are concisely compared to clarify the scientific and conservational importance of the native savanna vegetation in hot dry valley of Jinshajiang. The principle of nature reserve demarcation proposed by Yunnan Province is contrasted to confirm the consistencies of establishment of the suggested natural protected area.

Results It is considered that the native savanna vegetation in the hot dry valley of Jinshajiang is a remnant of savanna vegetations in dry hot river valleys, and is also a kind of rare and endangered vegetation type in China. It includes the unique community dominated by the Compositae tree species Nouelia insignis, which is a mono-typical and endemic genus in the hot dry valley. It also has a tropical monsoon forest dominated by Garuga forrestii locally at some gullies and lower slopes in the valley. Geological and climatic histories and floristic composition show that the savanna vegetation in the hot dry valley of Jinshajiang is an ancient, aboriginal and a fewer human-undisturbed vegetation.

Conclusions The savanna has a rich biodiversity and unique flora, and forms a complete ecosystem in the hot dry river valley of Jinshajiang, as well as a northern-most distributed savanna in Yunnan. It is of importance in science and nature conservation to establish a natural protected area for the savanna.

Key words: hot dry valley of Jinshajiang, native savanna, natural protected area, suggestion