China plans to invest 1.567 billion yuan (214.7 million U.S.
dollars) over the next decade to protect and improve the ecological
environment of the valley of Qinghai Lake, the country's biggest
inland saltwater sea.
Starting this year, the project will be carried out in Gangcha,
Haiyan, Tianjun and Gonghe counties of northwest China's Qinghai
Province, covering 29,661 square kilometers, said a spokesman with
the Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Economy Department of the
Qinghai Provincial Development and Reform Commission.
The 10-year project aims to help conserve wetlands, restore
grassland, control rats and pests, prevent land desertification,
plant trees, resettle local residents, offer safe drinking water to
rural people, renovate riverways, and others, the spokesman
said.
"The project can not only help conserve the ecological
environment of the Qinghai Lake valley and prevent the falling of
the lake's water level, but also improve the living condition of
local farmers and herdsmen," he said.
Perched more than 3,200 meters above sea level, the
4,300-square-km Qinghai Lake, located in the northeast of
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is home to 189 species of birds and a
crucial barrier against the desert spreading from west to east.
With a slim population of more than 70,000, the Qinghai Lake valley
is historically a land for farming.
Beautiful scenery has drawn more and more tourists to the lake
in recent years, which, however, have also brought pollution. The
waste produced by hotels and restaurants have been discharged into
the lake without being properly treated and garbage, such as crisp
packets and plastic drink bottles left behind by tourists, are
frequently found around the lake.
In addition, the lake is threatened by global warming and
encroaching desert. Statistics with the provincial environment
protection administration show the lake shrunk more than 380 sq km
between 1959 and 2006 and the average water level dropped three
meters to the present level of 18 meters.
More than 111,800 hectares of land around the lake has been
suffering from desertification brought about by overgrazing around
the lake and global warming, according to the provincial forestry
department.
To curb ecological degeneration on the lake, China has invested
470 million yuan in recovering the plants around the lake and
dealing with desertification. Local government has also banned
fishing in the lake since 1982.
(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2008)
