The Lancang River is internationally known for its rich water resources and diverse aquatic ecology, but research on riparian plant biodiversity is sparse. As a tropical transition area in the Mekong Basin, Xishuangbanna in southwestern China is an ideal place for in-depth studies into the role of rivers on biodiversity patterns and to predict the impact of climate change on regional plant biodiversity.
The Lancang River is internationally known for its rich water resources and diverse aquatic ecology, but research on riparian plant biodiversity is sparse. As a tropical transition area in the Mekong Basin, Xishuangbanna in southwestern China is an ideal place for in-depth studies into the role of rivers on biodiversity patterns and to predict the impact of climate change on regional plant biodiversity.
In a study published in Science of the Total Environment, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have investigated the importance of riparian areas for biodiversity conservation management by identifying climatic refugia for threatened woody plant species.
