The Gansu Gahai Wetlands Nature Reserve is located within the administrative area of Luqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Northwest China. This site is a part of the largest alpine peat marsh area in the world and the wetland supports flora and fauna of both the Loess and Tibetan Plateaus which are rarely seen elsewhere in the world. Alpine marshes, seasonal/intermittent herb-dominated marshes, permanent herb-dominated marshes on peatlands and inorganic soils, permanent freshwater lakes, permanent rivers and streams are different types of wetlands in this site. There are 15 threatened species at this site including birds, amphibian and mammals such as the vulnerable Black-necked Crane, Grus nigriscollis and the Alpine Stream Salamander, Batrachuperus tibetanus. It is a regional hotspot of species diversity, with many endemic species of the Tibetan biogeographic region, especially fish and amphibian species. The wetland has significant function for water storage, carbon storage and flood control. As a result, flood disaster is very rare in this site. The local Tibetan herdsmen and communities practice wetland conservation and wildlife protection as part of their tradition, and believe that Gahai Lake is sacred. The Master Plan of Gansu Gahai-Zecha National Nature Reserve was approved in 2000.

Gansu Province