关键词: 江河源区, 草地, 湿地, 生物多样性

Abstract: Widely spread grassland, specific alpine wetland and endemic biodiversity are main natural biological resources in the source region of ChangjiangYellow Rivers. The grassland is the most important vegetation type in the region, covering 84.53% of the land surface in the region and providing livelihoods for nomadic pastoralism there as well as forage for livestock, foods, herbal medicine and fuels. It is the substantial resource for pastoral development, and also home to the sources of Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang Rivers, named as Chinese Water Tower. Rivers originated from the region provide the much needed irrigation water that feed the agricultural fields of hundreds of millions of farmers in the downstream regions. These rivers and their tributaries are the lifeblood of millions of people in their drainage areas, and supply immense services such as water supply, climate regulation, erosion control, etc, for the ecoenvironment soundness and economic development in middle and lower reaches of rivers. There are 8 000 km\+2 alpine wetland in source regions, which is the highest area of alpine wetland in the world. The vast land surface of the region has wide climatic variations caused by the unique plateau atmospheric circulation system, such unusual natural conditions give rise to a diverse natural habitats for complex species of flora and fauna. Approximately 133, 249, and 219 species of mammals, avians, and fish, and 800, 808, 80 and 400 species of grazing plants, herbal medicines, edible plants and ornamentals are endemic to the regions. The ChangjiangYellow River source region is the typical highest biodiverse region in the world. However, the grassland degeneration, alpine wetland reduction, biodiversity loss increase over all the source region due to the over exploitation and utilization. Now we have to make correct tradeoff between shortterm economic value and immense ecological services and potential value of natural biological resources in the region, and there is a critical need for natural biological resources protection in the source regions through scientific and powerful policy measures.

Key words: source region of ChangjiangYellow Rivers, grassland, wetland, biodiversity