Joyce Zhong
China Tibet Online
April 2, 2014
A total of six hundred rare species living in Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon have been photographed by Biodiversity Image Survey To Tibet (TBIS), an agency aimed at recording animals and plants in Tibet, according to xinhuanet.com.
Discovering new species and subspecies makes up the largest achievement of the image survey. For example, Metok wingless insect is a species discovered for the first time on the north bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River, which is a strong argument to prove the spread route of wingless insects.
Tibet’s biodiversity image survey was started in 2010 and now is underway for the third time. Different from traditional scientific survey, image survey features high-definition photos or clips that contain much more information than sheer specimen photos could offer.
The survey photos usually can rival artistic photos in quality, but also providing information such as the subject’s geographical distribution, morphological characteristics and living conditions.
The newly photographed species include birds, beasts, amphibious reptiles, insects and plants, but they only represent a drop in the bucket. There is still a lot to be observed and recorded in the area of the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon.
“Biodiversity image survey is of huge referential value to the scientific study of endangered species in Tibet”, said Luo Hao, leader of TBIS. He hopes the photographs show people in a vivid way the natural environment of Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon and the species living in it and arouse people’s love for nature and passion for environmental protection.
Spanning more than 504 kilometers, the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is regarded as the largest canyon in the world, slightly longer than the Grand Canyon in the United States.
As the canyon passes between the peaks of the Namjabarwa and Gyala Peri mountains, the deepest depth of the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon reaches 6,009 m. With its climate ranging from subtropical to Arctic, the gorge has a unique ecosystem and rich species of animals and plants barely explored and affected by human.
