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Water resources in Dehong Prefecture add up to 21.8 b cubic meters. Most of the surface water is unpolluted and meets the criteria for industrial, agricultural, and drinking usage.
At present, only 2.3% of Dehong's water is being used. The potential hydropower resources are estimated at 362.4 m kilowatts, of which 1.02 m kilowatts are exploitable. Dehong also boasts 50 hot springs which display huge potential in terms of tourism.
Over 20 types of minerals have been discovered in Dehong, including ferrous metal iron and non-ferrous metal mineral, such as tin, lead, zinc, copper, tungsten, chromium and nickel. Dehong is also endowed with rich energy resources such as coal and pertroleum, rare metals such as beryllium, uranium, and germanium, as well as other non-metallic minerals such as mica, crystal, gemstones, and limestone. Despite of its diversity, many mineral resources in Dehong remain unexploited.
Stretching across different climatic zones, Dehong is abundant in forest reserves. The tropical and northern tropical rainforest take up 5.4% of the total forest area, covered by dipterocarp, teak, and Maytenus wood.
Broad-leaved trees such as Oak, Mangrove wood, Schima, Hung-chun, Nanmu, Camellia Oleifera, and Pine spread over the subtropical zone, up to 57.2% of the total forest area. The temperate zone is mainly covered by evergreen broad-leaved trees such as Chinese fir, pine, and walnut trees, accounting for 36.1% of the total forest area. Hemlock, mountain oak, and rhododendron grow in temperate mountain areas. Dehong is particularly known for its various bamboos and quality coffee beans.
Dehong provides habitats for many nationally protected animals such as golden monkeys, Bengal tigers, and Asian elephants. In Yingjiang County alone there are 56 fish species, 22 amphibian species, 34 reptile species, 356 bird species, and 86 mammal species.
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