In the starkly beautiful expanse of northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a dedicated team of guardians patrols one of the country’s most remote and ecologically significant sanctuaries. Before dawn breaks across the high-altitude meadows of the Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve, these rangers embark on their mission to protect a pristine wilderness thriving with biodiversity.
Spanning 45,000 square kilometers in the southeastern corner of Xinjiang, the reserve averages an elevation of 4,580 meters, creating challenging conditions where oxygen levels drop to barely half those at sea level and temperatures plunge to minus 40 degrees Celsius. Despite these brutal conditions, the patrol team led by Shang Peng navigates the complex terrain with expertise honed over a decade of experience.
‘The grass here is excellent. We should see Tibetan antelopes soon,’ Shang observed during a recent patrol as the first light touched the horizon. True to his prediction, faint shapes soon emerged in the distance—Tibetan antelopes moving across the barren landscape with wolves following behind, their movements stirring up dust in the thin, cold air.
Established in 1983 and managed by approximately 70 dedicated personnel, the reserve serves as a crucial gene bank hosting 17 species under top-level state protection, including 338 species of wild animals and 387 species of plateau plants. The area connects with the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve of Sanjiangyuan National Park in Qinghai and borders Xizang’s Changtang National Nature Reserve to the south, forming an extensive protected ecosystem.
‘Our primary task is to protect the plateau ecosystem and its iconic ungulates, such as the wild yak, Tibetan wild ass, and Tibetan antelope,’ explained Gong Junsheng, deputy director of the reserve administration.
The conservation efforts have yielded remarkable success stories. Since 2010, the Tibetan antelope population has roughly doubled, now exceeding 65,000 individuals, while the wild yak count stands at approximately 12,000. Early December marks their mating season, when rangers observe wildlife and conduct routine inspections, documenting spirited courtship displays among the antelope herds.
Hundreds of kilometers to the east, on the fringes of the Kum Kol Desert—one of the highest deserts on Earth—herds of wild yaks gather to drink from giant sand springs that well up from the ground like massive natural funnels. The diverse landscape also provides habitat for snow leopards, black-necked cranes, and Tibetan brown bears.
To meet the formidable challenges of protecting this vast territory, the administration has built a comprehensive management system combining fixed posts, seasonal patrols, and mobile teams. They have increased patrols, deployed infrared cameras and drones, and dissuaded hundreds of attempted illegal entries.
‘The terrain is complex and distances vast. In summer, marshes can turn travel to distant stations into a journey of several days,’ said Tomurbatu, head of a reserve inspection station.
For rangers like Erkin Jume, who patrols over 400 kilometers daily, the improvements are tangible. ‘We see more wildlife every year,’ he noted. ‘Before, we slept in tents or cars. Now, with better-equipped stations, the reserve feels like a second home.’
These conservation efforts represent part of a broader push for green development and biodiversity conservation in western China, supported by strengthened policies and planning. The reserve administration has invested significantly in infrastructure, including a preliminary patrol road network, with future plans focusing on enhancing scientific research and monitoring to ensure this high-altitude sanctuary continues to thrive for generations to come.