简介 Introduction
白芨滩国家自然保护区位于毛乌素沙地南缘和宁夏灵武市境内引黄灌溉区东部的荒漠区域，南部与黄土丘陵相连，西部毗邻宁夏平原，最高海拔1650m。
Baijitan National Nature Reserve is located at the southern edge of Mao Wu Su Sandy Land, and also covers the desertified areas in east Lingwu City. The nature reserve is linked with the loess plateau on the southern side, next to Ningxia plains on the western side. The highest altitude is 1650 meters. The nature reserve is 47 km from south to north and 38 km from east to west, and the total area is about 80,000 hectares.
1953年，宁夏灵武白芨滩国家级自然保护区（白芨滩防沙林场）成立，2000年4月被国务院批准为国家级自然保护区，属荒漠类型保护区，主要保护对象是荒漠生态系统及其生物多样性，不同自然地带的典型自然景观，典型荒漠野生动植物资源及古人类文化遗址。
The Baijitan Nature Reserve was founded in 1953, and was approved as a national natural reserve by the State Department in April 2000. It’s categorized as typical desertification natural reserve, which conserves the desert ecosystem and its biodiversity, including the typical natural landscape in different natural terrains, flora and fauna of desert ecosystem and historical sites of ancient human civilization.
自然条件 Nature Conditons
气候 Climate
保护区地处宁夏东北部的鄂尔多斯台地，气候特点是：干燥，雨量少而集中，蒸发强烈，寒冬长，夏热短，温差大，日照长，光能丰富，冬春季风、沙天较多。年降水量200mm左右，全年降水量的80%集中在7、8、9三个月，年平均蒸发量1933.3mm。
The natural reserve is atthe eastern north part of Ningxia, lied on Ordos platform. The typical weather here is very dry with very little rainfall during a rather short time. The evaporation rate is high. Long winter and short summer.The temperature varies greatly between day and night. The light energy is abundant. The monsoon comes a lot during the winter and the spring, when the sandyweather dominates. The average annual rainfall is about 200 mm. 80% of the rainfall happen from July to September. On the other hand, the annual evaporation is 1933.3 mm on average.八、九月保护区内平均温20-30摄氏度，昼长夜短。该地区光照较强，辐射量大，在户外活动时须注意防晒。
It’s usually 20 to 30 degrees Celsius in August and September at the nature reserve. Longer days and shorter nights in the summer. Very
strong and radiating sunshine. Sunscreen is essential at outdoor.
水文 Water
该区域水资源补给来源主要来自大气降水，但由于地处内陆，降水量少，地表水少，属于严重缺水区。该地区地形复杂，且由于土质原因不易于储水，因此地下水一般埋藏较深，水情复杂且水质较差。
The main source of the water in this area is from the air. But it's in inland. Rainfall is rather scarce. The complicated terrian and soil quality together lead to the poor water conservation. The underground water is always hidden extremely deep down. And the underground water quality is not very good and thus very difficult to make use of.
土壤 Soil
白芨滩国家级自然保护区的主要土壤类型是灰钙土和风沙土。灰钙土易盐渍化，在雨季与水会形成石灰质沉积。风沙土的形成受沙化和植被化的影响，成土过程很不稳定，土壤发育十分微弱。
The main soil type at Baijitan is sierozem and aeolian sandy soil. The sierozem is prone to sanilization. In the rainy season, the soil will become calcareous sediments when combined with rains. The forming of aeolian sandy soil is affected by desertification and vegetation coverage. The process is very unstable, and soil development is usally faint.
生态系统 Ecosystem
类型：白芨滩保护区的生态系统在其所属温带草原荒漠生物气候带中在国内具有高度的代表性，在我国荒漠类型中具有独特的景观，是全国最大的柠条林和西北最大的猫头刺荒漠区，是荒漠生态系统研究的天然实验室。
Classification: The ecosystem of Baijitan is one of the typical temperate grassland and desert. It has a special landscape compared to other deserts. The largest Caragana korshinskii and Oxytropis aciphylla forests here making it a natural lab for studying the desert ecosystem.
天然动植物：自然保护区有维管束植物49科149属262种，旱生植物比重大，国家重点保护植物有沙冬青。有陆生野生动物115种，隶属于22目45科，国家一级保护动物有黑鹳、大鸨，国家二级保护动物有斑嘴鹈鹕、大天鹅、草原雕、兔狲、鹅喉羚等30种。
Floral and Fauna: For vascular plants, there are 262 species of 149 genus under 49 families in the natural reserve. Desert plants dominate here. The key naional protected plant is Ammopiptanthus mongolicus. There are 115 wild animals of 22 orders and 45 families. Among them, the first grade national protected animals are Ciconia Nigra and bustard. The second grade protected wildlife are about 30 speicies, including Pelecanus philippensis, Cygnus cygnus, Aquila rapax, Pallas cat, Gazella subgutturosa etc.
人工植被：人工植被又称为栽培植被，是指通过人工种植和培育而形成的植被。保护区内人工植被主要包括柠条、沙拐枣、花棒、沙柳等，这些植物组成的沙地灌丛植被作为防风固沙的防护区。
Vegetation: Artificial vegetation is also called cultivated vegetaion, referting to the vegetation planted and cultivated by us. The cultivated vegetation in the natural reserve are mainly Caragana Korshinskii Kom, Calligonum arborescens Litv., Hedysarum scoparium, Salix mongolica etc. These shrubs all together guard the surrounding areas and preventing the desertification from spreading.
变化 Changes over years
在白芨滩国家级自然保护区内，由于不同地理部位中的地形变化等综合作用，保护区植被的变化十分显著。多年生草本在其中占有很大优势，可达58%~80%，且由于由南向北的水分减少，植被类型由草原向荒漠过渡，耐干旱的灌木类及一年生草本植物比例逐渐增加。
At Baijitan, the combination of terrians and other geographic factors lead to the significant changes of vegetation. Prenenial plants dominate, ranging from 58% to 80% of the total amount. The water resource is decreasing from southern to the northern parts, so the vegetation is also tranforming from grassland types to desert types. The shrubs and annual plants are increasing as well.
60多年来，在国家林业局、三北防护林工程的大力支持下，三代白芨滩人坚持不懈防沙治沙，累计治沙造林63万亩，控制流沙近百万亩，森林覆盖率达41%，有效遏制了毛乌素沙地的南移和西扩，保护了黄河、银川河东地区的生态安全。
Thanks to the support from the natinal forestry department and three-nothern shelter forest program, with the continued efforts that three generations of the Baijitan tree farm workers have made, the forests now covers an area of 630,000 Mu, and contributed to fixing over 1,000,000 Mu shifting sandy land. The forests now reach over 41% vegetation coverage. Mao Wu Su Sandyland is no longer explanding to sourth and west, benefiting the lives of local people living along Yellow River and residents in east Yinchuan.
