Yu Wenhao, job manager of a smart tracking platform of the Tangbei location of Sanjiangyuan National Park, can still clearly remember the difficulties he faced while constructing a monitoring station right at the headwaters of the Yangtze River.Last October, Yu and his 20-member group travelled to the remote glaciers of Mount Geladaindong in the city of Nagqu, southwest Chinas Xizang Autonomous Region, to put up a 15-meter-high monitoring tower at an altitude going beyond 5,300 meters.
The journey was only about 120 kilometers, however, it took us two days to reach the site.
There were no roadways! Yu recalled.
With approval from regional authorities, we braved the freezing cold, following experienced local guides to reduce our impact on the fragile plateau ecosystem.
The tracking station is one of the 14 throughout the large area, scattered in the Tangbei (locations under the administration of Xizang, north of the Tanggula Range) location of the Sanjiangyuan National Park, as well as the Silingtso and Changtang national nature reserves.Established in 2021 as part of Chinas first batch of national forests, the 190,700-square-km Sanjiangyuan National Park sits on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau at an average elevation of over 4,700 meters.
The Sanjiangyuan area, a common representative of the alpine community, acts as an alpine biological germplasm bank, making it a vital environmental security barrier in China.The Tangbei area covers 48,700 square km, accounting for approximately 25.54 percent of the parks overall area.Since 2023, Nagqu has been developing a state-of-the-art tracking platform incorporating satellites, drones and ground sensing units for real-time eco-friendly tracking, according to Wang Mingqing, Party secretary of the forestry and meadow bureau of Nagqu City.So far, 14 stations, including the most recent one that Yus team established in October 2024, have actually allowed long-term, automatic tracking of wildlife, glaciers, rivers, wetlands and eco-friendly repair efforts across Xizang.
Nowadays, we continuously update the platform with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to enhance wildlife identification accuracy, Yu said.Beyond technology, Yu highlighted growing regional conservation awareness.
He was deeply moved by upscale young herders volunteering to help building and construction in tough conditions, reflecting a shared commitment to conservation.Today, over 6,000 previous park residents work as environmental rangers, transitioning from resource users to protectors.
Thanks to advanced innovation, local residents engagement, in addition to the extensive support from the country, wildlife populations in Tangbei are gradually increasing, Wang said.Namdrol, 48, a herder from Maqu Township, Nagqu, joined an environmental protection group of the headwaters of Yangtze River in 2016.
Over the years, Namdrol and his group have actually willingly arranged river cleanups, rescued trapped wildlife, and stepped in to avoid environmentally hazardous activities.
We conduct five to six evaluation trips on a monthly basis, covering over 40 km each time.
Offered the extreme fragility of this community, where any damage could be irreparable, enhancing ecological protection is absolutely vital, he said.Xizang has actually always focused on eco-environmental preservation and attached excellent value to the preservation of the ecology of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.Alongside prioritizing eco-environmental preservation and green advancement, it makes every effort to constantly enhance eco-environmental governance and safeguard biodiversity on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.
Authorities statistics reveal that Xizang has established 47 nature reserves of all kinds, covering 412,200 square km.Largely thanks to the previously mentioned efforts, Xizang has become among the regions with the healthiest communities in the world.The region has actually also presented an eco-compensation system to increase the earnings of farmers and herders and reinforce their awareness of preservation.
From 2016 to 2024, approximately 516,000 tasks for eco-environmental protection were produced each year, supplying a yearly per capita earnings of 3,500 yuan (about $490).(Cover: Tibetan antelopes roam on the Changtang grassland in Nagqu, Xizang Autonomous Region, southwest China, October 3, 2024./ VCG)