The large altitude drop leads to a great climate difference, which creates a special vertical combination ecosystem in Gyirong Valley. Being one of the largest and the most beautiful forest sites inside the Mt. Everest Nature Reserve, it is a paradise for rare flora and fauna. For the farther west, the wet and warm air from the Indian Ocean become thinner and thinner, too weak to flow inside the valley. Hence, there aren’t any more places that as mild and warm as Gyirong Valley.
Gyirong mixes 6 different types of ecosystem and produces distinctive combinations: from the montane subtropical evergreen forest, and semi-evergreen broadleaf coniferous forest ecosystems in the lower altitude area (1,700-2,700m) to the high mountain frigid zone snow and ice ecosystem in the highest altitude area (5,500-5,700m). The characteristic combination of semi-humid montane forest ecosystem on the south side of the Himalayas and the abundant hydrological nature scenes in the Gyirong Valley has together constituted the most attractive visual ecosystem. The majority of Gyirong’s forest are arbors, which is a kind of famous ornamental tree. They grow very fast and take only 20 years to grow into a forest of thick woodlands for around 20m tall. Therefore, Gyirong is covered by dense forests and possesses some native species and more than 80 kinds of precious herbs: Pinus roxburghii, Picea smithiana, Gastrodia elata, fritillary, Coptis chinensis, etc. The most precious herbs are Euphorbia royleana, Ganoderma, Potentilla anserine, Rhodiola rosea, etc. The most precious tree species is Taxus fauna, which is listed on the Major Flora Protected at the National Level.
Meanwhile, Gyirong Valley is home to many kinds of rare animals. Animals listed on the Major Wild Animals Protected at the National First Level are Macaca assamensis, Tragopan satyra, Hemitragus jemlahicus, Semnopithecus entellus, Ursus arctos, etc. Animals listed on the Major Wild Animals Protected at the National Second Level are Sumatran serow, Lophura leucomelana, Blood pheasant, Moschus leucogaster, etc. In general, Gyirong has abundant ecological resources, particularly in the superiority of resources combinations., With perfect advantages in resources, which combines rich historical and cultural relics with natural sceneries, Gyirong’s competitiveness is second to none in the world.