Lishan Mountain national nature reserve [Photo/shanxi.gov.cn]

The Shanxi Forestry and Grassland Bureau recently issued a wildlife protection and development plan for 2022-35, dividing North China's Shanxi province into five major wildlife reserves.

According to the distribution of wildlife in Shanxi, the five wildlife reserves are in the hilly mountains of northwestern Shanxi, the northern Shanxi basin, the Lyuliang mountainous area, the Taihang mountain area, and the central and southern Shanxi basin. 

The northwestern Shanxi hilly mountain wildlife reserve includes the cities of Lyuliang, Xinzhou, Shuozhou and Datong, and there is currently one provincial nature reserve. 

The northern Shanxi basin wildlife reserve includes the cities of Shuozhou and Datong, and there are two provincial nature reserves. 

The Lyuliang Mountain wildlife reserve includes the cities of Xinzhou, Lyuliang, Taiyuan and Linfen, and is an important area for the protection of the Yellow River. At present, there are four national nature reserves and nine provincial nature reserves. 

The Taihang Mountain wildlife reserve includes the cities of Datong, Xinzhou, Yangquan, Jinzhong, Changzhi, Jincheng, Linfen and Yuncheng, and there are four national nature reserves and 25 provincial nature reserves. 

The wildlife reserve in the central and southern Shanxi basin includes the cities of Xinzhou, Lyuliang, Taiyuan, Jinzhong, Linfen and Yuncheng, and there is one provincial nature reserve. 

Shanxi is located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and the eastern part of the Loess Plateau, and is home to 2,743 species of wild plants and 541 species of wild animals, including one species of wild plants and 25 species of wild animals under national first-class protection. 

Leopards (North China subspecies), musk deer, brown-eared pheasants and black storks are the four key special species in Shanxi. At present, their distribution areas and populations are expanding and growing.