Bayanbulak Grassland National Nature Reserve
Bayanbulak Grassland National Nature Reserve (Chinese: 巴音布鲁克; pinyin: Bāyīnbùlǔkè) (from Mongolian "abundant spring") is the second largest grassland in China, located in the Bayanbulak Basin of the Tian Shan mountains in northwest China. The terrain is mostly flat, and encompasses a middle section of the Kaidu River ("Peacock River"). The reserve is 200 km northwest of Korla in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
| Bayanbulak Grassland National Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
| (also: Bayinbuluke) | |
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
Kaidu River, on the Bayan Baluk Reserve | |
Location, in Xinjiang Province | |
| Location | Hejing County, Xinjiang, China |
| Nearest city | Korla |
| Coordinates | 42.75°N 84.33°E |
| Area | 148,689 ha (1,486.89 km2; 574.09 sq mi) |
As a high-altitude marshland (at 2,000 - 2,500 meters), the reserve is an important breeding and staging ground for birds and waterfowl, and is the highest-altitude breeding ground for swans in the world. The area has been designated an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA #CN-114) by Birdlife International.
At the center of the reserve is "Swan Lake", a connected series of wetlands, which was designated in 1980 as the "Bayanbulak Swan Nature Reserve" by the Xinjiang government, and upgraded in 1986 to a "National Swan Reserve" by the government of China.