Conservation experts say a mini nature reserve planned for Xinjiang’s Tukai desert would not cover key habitat of an endangered lizard species, reports Caixin.
The 400-hectare area is supposed to protect the “critically endangered” big-eared sand lizard, a Class I protected species – China’s highest level of protection. Entry into the reserve for grazing and other activities would be prohibited.
Statistics show the lizard’s numbers falling from around 40 in 2012 to around 10 in 2025. This is down to habitat loss for the development of the Tukai Desert Happy World recreational complex, construction of a solar power plant, and climate change, according to a biodiversity survey in 2025.
One year ago, environmental organisation Friends of Nature filed a public interest litigation against a desert off-road racing event threatening the lizards. The local court granted the injunction requested by the organisation to protect the species from human-induced activities in December 2025, noted Caixin.
Friends of Nature says it has since found several signs erected in the desert to warn of the presence of wildlife and prohibit off-road driving.
In contrast, the recent plan of the mini nature reserve is seen as less than adequate. “Compared to nature reserves, the level of protection in mini nature reserves is very limited,” Chen Tianyi, a public-interest lawyer with Friends of Nature, told Caixin. While fully fledged nature reserves are strictly regulated by national laws, the mini ones are primarily subjected to local regulations and lack strong legal protection, he explained.
The proposed mini reserve also fails to include the Tukai desert recreational complex, which is the core habitat of the big-eared sand lizard, several amphibian and reptile experts told Caixin.
To better protect the lizards, along and other endangered species such as the frog-eyed gecko, experts suggest establishing a proper nature reserve in the Tukai desert and implementing stricter regulatory measures.
Read Dialogue Earth’s story from earlier in the year about China’s bird tourism boom.