Gangxiang Primeval Forest

[3][4] This biodiversity hotspot shelters endangered species including the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), red panda (Ailurus fulgens), and black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis).

[5] In 2000, the State Council of China established the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve, integrating Gangxiang Forest into its core zone.

[6] The UN Development Programme funded a $2.1 million community co-management project (2018-2023), training 127 local rangers from Monpa and Lhoba ethnic groups in conservation techniques.

[7] UNESCO designated the area as part of the "Himalayas Biodiversity Conservation Corridor" in 2009, while in 2021, it achieved recognition under the Man and Biosphere Programme for its glacial-forest ecological transition.

[8][9] Ongoing threats include climate-driven glacial retreat (0.8% annual ice loss) and invasive Ageratina adenophora encroachment, countered by a seed bank preserving 1,300 native species.