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The Tibetan Plateau is bordered in the southeast by the towering Himalayas on one side and the Kunlun mountain range on the other. This area represents China’s most intact natural corridor, and the diverse geography of the region, ranging from grasslands to glaciers, mirrors the rich species diversity found on the Plateau. Moving to the west and north, the land gently ascends, and the weather becomes colder and drier. Uniquely, the Plateau is also the source of three major Asian rivers, and the landscape is punctuated by the highest concentration of lakes in China.

In the Tibetan language, Changtang means “highland in the north.” Spanning an area of 300,000 square kilometres, it is the largest nature reserve in China and ranks second in the world, after Greenland National Park. This world-famous wilderness area is renowned for its rich and unique wildlife, plants and relatively primitive ecology. There is very low human population in or near the Reserve, and the landscape is dominated by vast deserted panoramas.

Although it is rare to see even a single tree along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway line, south eastern Tibet, in the regions of Nyingchi (Linzhi) and Chamdo (Changdu), boasts the most well-preserved intact forests in China. In fact, China’s only population of Bengal tigers are concentrated there. This region and western Sichuan province and north western Yunnan province, are collectively called the “Mountains of Southwest China Biodiversity Hotspot.” The Hotspot harbors the richest biodiversity of any temperate forest region in the world, and the diverse vegetation provides habitat for many endangered and unique species including the giant panda, golden monkey, and snow leopard.