F0NDATION IRIS
Wild Wonders of China is an initiative supported by the Iris Foundation, which aims to publicize the wild side of China, its fascinating wildlife and spectacular landscapes, which few people even know exist.
WILD WONDERS OF CHINA
TAIWAN
2019
Taiwan yuhina, Yuhina brunneiceps, among cherry blossoms. Also known as Formosan yuhina. Endemic. Alishan National Scenic Area, Taiwan
Taiwan Collared bush robin or Johnstone's robin (Tarsiger johnstoniae). Endemic. Hehuanshan, Taroko National Park, Taiwan
Taiwan or Formosan sika deer (Cervus nippon taiouanus). Endemic. Kenting National Park, Taiwan
Taiwan yuhina, Yuhina brunneiceps, among cherry blossoms. Also known as Formosan yuhina. Endemic. Alishan National Scenic Area, Taiwan
Taiwan
SICHUAN & YUNNAN
2019
Giant Panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, Chengdu Panda Breeding Centre, Sichuan, China. Captive
Black-and-white snub-nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus bieti, also known as the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, Ta Cheng Nature Reserve, Yunnan, China
Red-headed Trogon, Harpactes erythrocephalus, Tongbiguan Nature Reserve, Dehong, Yunnan, China
Giant Panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, Chengdu Panda Breeding Centre, Sichuan, China. Captive
Sichuan
XINJIANG & GANSU
2019
Danxia type of eroded desert clay layers, shaped by wind, rain and snow, Kalamaili National Nature Reserve, Xinjiang
Drift sand dunes in the Gobi desert outside Dunhuang in Gansu
Bactrian camel, male, Camelus bactrianus, a feral animal living in the wild, but owned by a camel herdsman, often of Kazakh ethinicity. Kalamaili Nature *Reserve, Xinjiang
Danxia type of eroded desert clay layers, shaped by wind, rain and snow, Kalamaili National Nature Reserve, Xinjiang
Gobi desert, Yardang National Geopark, Gansu province
Kalamaili Nature Reserve, Xinjiang
QINGHA
2019
Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai
Snow leopard, Panthera uncia, Angsai nature reserve, "Valley of the Cats", Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai, China
Asian Wild Ass, or Kiang, Equus kiang, Keke Xili or Hoh Xil nature reserve, at 4200 m asl. Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai, China
Blue sheep, Ovis nahoor, adult male, Angsai nature reserve, "Valley of the Cats", Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai, China
Snow leopard, Panthera uncia, Angsai nature reserve, "Valley of the Cats", Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai, China
SICHUAN
2018
Sichuan
Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, Rhinopithecus roxellana, hanging and holding on with its hands to a branch, Foping Nature Reserve, Shaanxi, China
The Skywalker hoolock gibbon or Gaoligong hoolock gibbon, Hoolock tianxing, Gaoligong Mountains National Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province, China
Emperor newt, Tylototriton shanjing, is also called Mandarin newt or Mandarin salamander (in Chinese 红瘰疣螈), Gaoligong Mountains National Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province, China.
Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, Rhinopithecus roxellana, hanging and holding on with its hands to a branch, Foping Nature Reserve, Shaanxi, China
TAIWAN
2018
Buzzard bird and honey bees. Oriental or Crested honey buzzard, Pernis ptilorhynchus, Chayi, Taiwan
Osprey catching fish, Pandion haliaetus, Bi Tan Bay, Taiwan
Crested Serpent Eagle fly. Crested Serpent Eagle, young bird, Spilornis cheela, Yangmingshan National Park, Taiwan
Buzzard bird and honey bees. Oriental or Crested honey buzzard, Pernis ptilorhynchus, Chayi, Taiwan
Taiwan
OCEANIC TAIWAN
2018
Juvenile flying fish, Cypselurus sp, family Exocoetidae, Longdong, Northeast, Taiwan. Longdong (Dragon Cave) is the largest bay on the Northeast Coast and the bay host an abundant marine life.
Weedy scorpionfish, Rhinopias frondosa, or popeyed scorpionfish, Longdong, Northeast, Taiwan. One out of the six mysterious Rhinopia-species. Rhinopias are highly sought after by aquarists who collect rare and unusual species so the price is high in the aquarium trade with the highest export to Japan.
Yellow-edged moray, Gymnothorax flavimarginatus, Green Island, Taiwan. This moray eel was recently identified as natural predator of the lionfish Pterois miles in its native habitat in the Red Sea.
Juvenile flying fish, Cypselurus sp, family Exocoetidae, Longdong, Northeast, Taiwan. Longdong (Dragon Cave) is the largest bay on the Northeast Coast and the bay host an abundant marine life.
Taiwan is a spectacular island with a chilly northern coastline, islands in the east bathing in clear blue water, a dynamic peninsula in the south
BIRDS OF SICHUAN
2018
Red-billed Blue Magpie, Urocissa erythroryncha, flying, Yangxian Biosphere Reserve, Shaanxi, China
Male Golden pheasant, Chrysolophus pictus, photographed while jumping in Yangxian Biosphere Reserve, Shaanxi, China
Wreathed hornbill, Rhyticeros undulatus, or bar-pouched wreathed hornbill,similar to the plain-pouched hornbill, but the wreathed hornbill can be recognized by the dark bar on the lower throat. Dehong Prefecture is located in western Yunnan province bordering Burma, People's Republic of China.
Red-billed Blue Magpie, Urocissa erythroryncha, flying, Yangxian Biosphere Reserve, Shaanxi, China
Sichuan
HUBEI
2018
Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of China
Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of China
Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of China
Staffan Widstrand/Wild Wonders of China
National Nature Reserve, Shishou, Hubei
East Lake Greenway park, Wuhan, Hubei
TAIWAN OCEAN SIDE
DECEMBER 2017
A three-week mission to photograph Taiwan's little-known ocean, a spectacular island with a cold coastline to the north, small islands bathed in transparent blue water to the east, a peninsula to the south, and Xiao Liuqiu Island in the west where turtles are particularly numerous.
vert plat mission Taiwan
THE THREE PARALLEL RIVERS
YUNNAN - OCTOBER 2017
The Three Parallel Rivers Region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the northwestern Yunnan Province of China. With highly variable temperatures and rainfall, and with altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 6,740 meters at Mount Kawagebo, it is one of the regions the most biodiverse temperate on the planet. It is home to many endemic species of animals, birds and plants. It is the very epicenter of the development of rhododendrons and azaleas. The region is home to charismatic wildlife such as the snow leopard, clouded leopard, Asian brown bear, otter, takin, Reeves' muntjac and many more. The tallest living non-human primate in the world, the Yunnan brown rhinopithecus, lives there along with several other very local primates. It is a real treasure of Himalayan biodiversity.
YANGXIAN NATURAL RESERVE
SHAANXI - SEPTEMBER 2017
The region of Taibaishan, of nearly 1000 km2, is the eleventh of the 36 secondary sites of the “Grotto-Heavens and Auspicious Sites” dating from 400-500 AD. J.-C, all officially protected by the emperor of the Tang dynasty in 725 AD. The Dongtians, or "Heaven Caves", are de facto nature reserves from the early Taoist times, which made them protected areas for nearly 1600 years. The Dongtian system of these ancient nature reserves, with a total of 157 “Grotte-Cieux” is one of the main reasons why animals like the giant panda and Roxellane's rhinopithecus have survived to the present day. It is by far the oldest of all protected area networks in the world. Roxellan's rhinopithecus is growing in numbers across much of its range today, thanks to modern Chinese nature conservation programs.
TONGBIGUAN NATURAL RESERVE
DEHONG, YUNNAN - APRIL 2017
Dehong Prefecture is China's “biodiversity hotspot”, where Himalayan, Central Chinese and Indo-Malay species meet. The area near the Myanmar border is home to some of the region's most untouched rainforests, a biosphere reserve known in Chinese as Tongbiguan. It is home to a multitude of species of wildlife, including gibbons, other rare monkeys and giant squirrels. It is also part of the area bird watchers call the "bird watchers golden triangle" with many endemic bird species. The flagship species are undoubtedly the three hornbill species (the two-horned hornbill, the scalloped hornbill and the pied hornbill) and the hard-to-find pheasant species (the leucomele pheasant, the chinquis spur and the bankiva rooster).
TAIGA
HEILONGJIANG - JULY 2016
Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China, bordering Russian Siberia, covered with vast expanses of boreal forest. Here, the great northern boreal forest belt, or taiga, reaches its southeastern limit. The taiga then extends west to Scandinavia and northeast to Vladivostok.
THE HIDDEN FACE OF HONG KONG
HONG KONG - JUNE 2016
The city of Hong Kong is surrounded by wetlands, rainforest and a surprisingly lively sea, populated with colorful fish and many other creatures, a urban underwater fauna, unknown to many people living nearby. It is a place where many reptiles and amphibians of all kinds live.
MOUNT HENG (HENGSHAN)
SHANXI - MAY 2016
Mount Heng (Hengshan) is one of the five sacred mountains of China, also known as the Northern Mountain. The region of Mount Heng is one of the first protected areas in the world. It was one 1800 years ago when it was declared "cave-sky" (dongtian), sacred place of Taoism.
EURASIAN STEPPE
INLAND MONGOLIA - MAY 2016
A mission to photograph the steppe and semi-desert fauna in Inner Mongolia, in the land of vast green meadows, dry steppes, arid semi-deserts and rolling mountains. The avifauna was the most abundant.
TANGJIAHE NATURAL RESERVE
SICHUAN - APRIL 2015
Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve is one of the most beautiful in China, with rich biodiversity and an impressive number of large mammals. The area has been protected since 1978, which has resulted in a remarkable return of wildlife. With an increasing number of animals and birds becoming less shy and less afraid of humans, a trip to Tangjiahe allows the visitor to see a wide variety of wildlife on a regular basis. Species like takin, muntjac by Reeves, goral and wild boar can be seen daily, and species such as the Himalayan black bear, crested deer, goat, and European otter are frequently spotted. With a bit of luck, visitors may even spot animals like giant pandas, wolves or leopards. The bird life is magnificent and rich, with beautiful Chinese flagship species like the golden pheasant and Temminck's tragopan among its main attractions. Due to its exceptional diversity of wildlife, Tangjiahe was chosen as the destination of the first Wild Wonders of China expedition.