WUYISHAN NATIONAL PARK: A THREATENED BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT BY GLOBAL WARMING

Wuyishan National Park is one of the first five national parks in China’s mainland. It is the only National Park in China recognized as both a World Biosphere Reserve and a World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. The unique geographical environment contributes to the best-preserved primary forest ecosystem in the subtropics. The Wuyi Mountains within the Park are justifiably valued in southeastern China for studies of plants, birds, insects, amphibians, and reptiles. Since 2010, 18 new species (never before discovered) have been discovered and 5 new record species to China have been found in the Park. However, biodiversity in the Wuyi Mountains is not only being affected, but possibly threatened by climate change. Climate warming is not only changing ecosystem hydrothermal dynamics but is also affecting the growth, distribution, and reproduction of organisms, altering ecosystem species composition and biodiversity. Therefore, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to monitor and study the long-term biodiversity changes in Wuyishan National Park to aide in biodiversity conservation and protect the ecosystems under future climate change.