Qinghai makes every effort to create a better environment

From protecting a saltwater lake to restoring land degraded by desertification, Qinghai province is making every effort to create a better environment.

In the past three years, Qinghai province has spared no effort to improve its ecology. Its grassland coverage increased by 26 percent over the previous year, and its record on saving endangered animals is also getting better.

The Qarhan Salt Lake in Golmud city, in the Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan autonomous prefecture, boasts a crystal clear sky and beautiful scenery, and attracts many tourists from all over the country.

The Qarhan Salt Lake, which is a strategic resource, is located in the southern part of the Qaidam Basin in Qinghai province. It is the largest salt lake in China and one of the most famous inland salt lakes in the world.

While the government strives to protect its freshwater resources, the locals are also working to preserve Qarhan Salt Lake.

When the work to preserve the lake began, there were no birds in the sky, no grass on the ground, only the desolate scene of the blowing wind and running sheep.

But through 60 years of development, the people there have created a 10,000-hectare salt field. And with water, grass and birds, the area has developed into a tourist attraction. The Gobi Desert has now turned into a paradise of fish and birds.

Changjiangyuan village in the Tangula Mountain township is named after the source of the Yangtze River.

The village is no longer at its original site, and it has moved from a remote grassland to the outskirts of Golmud city in Qinghai province.

The former nomads no longer take their livestock to graze on the grasslands, but now protect the grasslands to earn an income.

Fifteen years ago, 128 herders living on the plateau at an altitude of 4,700 meters moved to the source of the Yangtze River, in response to the national Sanjiangyuan ecological protection policy. Now the Sanjiangyuan water is clearer and the mountains are greener.

The local people are now protecting the grasslands. And each household in the village has a formal grassland contract awarded by the State. So they take the responsibility for patrolling the grassland, monitoring changes in the environment, and consciously protecting the environment and maintaining the ecological balance.

In addition to protecting ecologically sensitive areas, Qinghai province is also restoring land that has been degraded by desertification. The first shelter forest three years ago was nothing but sand.

Now, this sand control project has brought in tangible benefits to the local people. And the wind and sand control has improved the environment for future generations.

As a result, the future of Qinghai now not only seems brighter but also greener.

The ecological protection of Qinghai is also inseparable from the effective promotion of green industries and policies.