The Gaoligong Mountains (Chinese: 高黎贡山; pinyin: Gāolí gòngshān) are a mountainous area at the southern end of the Hengduan Mountain Range, located in the western Yunnan highlands very near to the China and Myanmar border. It is located along the west bank of the Nujiang valley from Gongshan down in to Dehong Prefecture, a distance of approximately 500 km. It is the drainage divide of the Nujiang and Irrawaddy rivers. The main peak is Ga her (嘎普) peak, 5128 meters above sea level.
The Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve is made up of three distinct areas.[1] One part is found in the south-central part of the mountain range and covers an area of 120,000 ha. Around 9 km wide, it stretches over approximately 135 km from north to south across parts of Lushui County, Baoshan City Prefecture and Tengchong County. The highest peak within the reserve is the 3,916 meter high Wona.[2] Another large part of the reserve is the Dulongjian area, west of Gongshan, and home to the Derung people.
In 1983, the Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve was established, and in 1992, the World Wildlife Fund, designated it a level A grade protected area. In 2000, UNESCO accepted it as a Biosphere Reserves member. The reserve is part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, established in 2003, and as such a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mountains are also part of the Nujiang Langcang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests ecoregion.[3]
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