Drought, Heat Attack Nature Reserve in Northeast ChinaUnusual high temperatures and drought have hit northeast China since late May, causing a disaster to a nature reserve in Heilongjiang Province.Li Changyou, vice director with the Administration of Zha Lung Nature Reserve in western Heilongjiang, said that for more than a month the area had only 3 mm of rainfall, 90 percent less than the usual amount. The average temperature in May was about three centidegrees higher than the normal level, he said. As a result, most ponds in the reserve dried up and large quantities of fish died, with birds there suffering from hunger. Reeds caught fire in an area of 20,000 hectares in the central part of the reserve due to hot, dry weather, scores of nests and eggs were destroyed and young birds killed. "Birds are forced to leave, and it is impossible for us to put out the fire in the swamp, where human beings simply cannot enter due to the deep, soft mud," said Li. "All we can do is try to repair the nests and wait for the rainy season to come." According to the provincial meteorological observatory, high temperatures will continue in the region in June, and the average will hit 35 centidegrees. The 40,000-ha Zha Lung Nature Reserve, set up for the protection of red-crowned cranes and other rare birds, is the largest of its kind in China. About 40 percent of the world's cranes species and 30 percent of the red-crowned cranes live in the reserve. |
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