Discussion about Ecological System and Its Protection Based on Three-River’s Source in Qinghai, China

　　(China) Chen Wei

　　Three-River’s source where is located in the hinterland of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is of greatly ecological importance because it is headstream of Yangtze River, Yellow River, Lantsang River and is known as “Chinese Water Tower” which means the major place of providing water resource for the Chinese. More importantly, it has been responsible for providing such practical methods as how to improve people's livelihood and how to boost the social order and the different social classes’ relationship as a development pilot in Tibetan area. Therefore, it is necessary to do research about protecting and improving ecological environment of Three-River’s Source.

　　1. Ecological Significance of Three-River’s Source

　　Source region of Three-River is an important part of ecological security barrier of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China and it has a special significant position in the national project of ecological civilization construction. So, the ecological security of Three-River’s Source is directly related to the nationally ecological security and long-term development of the Chinese nation.

　　1.1 Three-River’s Source can supply the amount of water resource that China and Southeast Asia consume.

　　The geographical location and altitude of Three-River’s Source is so unique that it may intercept a large amount of water vapor from southwest airflow and form abundant rainfall. Coupled with the impact of flat region and frozen soil, it has a big capacity of water saving. To be specific, it isn’t only one of the modern glacier gathering places around the world but the largest and highest plateau wetland ecosystem as well. What’s more, it is the most concentrated river area and provides plenty of water resources for Yangtze River, Yellow River, Lantsang River. That is to say, Three-River’s source is the one of life for hundreds of millions of people and the one of power of economic and social development for the whole water basin.

　　1.2 Three-River’s Source is a sensitive area and the start zone of climate change of Asia, Northern Hemisphere or even the globe.

　　Three-River’s Source is such an open ecosystem that it can be extremely sensitive to the changes of the external environment. It is a passive response to the global climate. On the other hand, it is an active creator to the climate of Asian or the northern hemisphere. The Source, as an important part of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is a "heat island" and "mainstay" situated in the middle troposphere of Asian continent. It greatly changed the atmospheric circulation of the northern hemisphere by taking thermal effect and dynamic action powerfully, resulting in the Asian monsoon. Chinese Climate changes always start at Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and then gradually spread to eastern area, driving climate change of other areas, and has a spillover effect on climate change of the northern hemisphere.

　　1.3 Three-River’s Source is an important ecological security barrier of China or even Southeast Asia.

　　Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is just like a great natural barrier so that it can make downstream and Southeast Asian region share ecological security. Firstly, it blocks the cold airflow from the North Polar, resulting in East Asian tropical rainforest boundaries extending to latitude 30 degrees north. Secondly, blocking the expansion of northwest desert and the warm moist airflow from the South area, it could strengthen East Asian monsoon and form Eastern humid climate that is one of the important factors leading to rich rainfall in South Asia. If there is not Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River might be the subtropical desert.

　　1.4 Three-River’s Source is a precious Chinese and global bank of Alpine Biological Resources.

　　Because of its unique location and altitude, Three-River’s Source does not only retain many precious relict species but makes a number of the species adapting to Alpine environment evolutionarily develop. As a result, it became one of the major areas for the differentiation and distribution of modern species. Up to now, source region is still unmanned and it has a good environmental condition for some modern species to escape from the destruction of mankind. So, this area has become the important Chinese center and base for rare species breeding.

　　2. The Achievements of Constructing and Protecting Source Region’s Ecological Environment

　　Both CPC Central Committee and the State Council have always attached great importance to ecological protection and construction in Three-River’s source region. The important leaders of CPC Central Committee made importantly official comments and instructions over and over again. Since 2005, CPC Central Committee and the State Council have approved and implemented such many policies and rules as 2005 the overall Plan of Ecological protection and construction of the Qinghai Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, 2008 The State Council’s some opinions on supporting the Economic and Social Development in Tibetan areas like Qinghai, 2010 CPC Central Committee and the State Council’s views on promoting the economic and social development in Tibetan areas like Sichuan, Yunnan Gansu and Qinghai, 2011 the general planning of the comprehensive pilot with national ecological protection in Qinghai Sanjiang source. The remarkable results have been gained at the aspect of ecological protection and construction in Sanjiang source area after ten years. They will be laying the strong and solid foundation that Qinghai Sanjiang source area could be built up plateau ecological security barrier, the national base of supplying the good quality of freshwater and the pilot of ecological civilization.

　　2.1 The trend of grassland degradation is curbed partly. 

　　The implementation of ecological protection and construction project of Sanjiang source effectively improved the grassland ecological environment. At the end of 2012, 6,513,000,000 yuan had been invested in Sanjiang source ecological protection, including 5,947,000,000 yuan from central government and 566,000,000 yuan from the local governments, and 81% of this project has been finished①.The average number of grassland coverage at different levels in key ecological area increased by more than 10%, compared to the one of grassland coverage in 2004. The rate of vegetation coverage in grassland desertification  raised 23.2%. The rate of vegetation coverage in Black Soil type went up 80% from 20%. Since 2007, the rate of vegetation coverage in the grassland removing animals has reached 90%.

　　2.2 Soil erosion has been effectively governed.

　　Comprehensive management project of 50 small watersheds have been implemented since 2007, as well as ecological conservation and prevention project of water and soil in the source areas of Yangtze River, Yellow River and Lantsang River. From 2005 to 2010, the average outflow of three rivers like Yellow River, Yangtze River, Lantsang River is 56,500,000,000 cubic meters, increased by 8,800,000,000 cubic meters in comparison to the number of outflow in 2004. The area of lakes in the source regions raised 245 square kilometers, of which there were more than 2000 lakes increased in County Maduo, the magnificent landscape of thousands of lakes in one county appeared in this area once again②.

　　2.3 The rate of forest coverage increased steadily.

　　The key forestry projects have been promoted, afforesting 3,310,000 Mu, closing hillsides to facilitate artifical afforestation 3,550,000 Mu. And the natural forest of 29,750,000 Mu and public-welfare forest of 46,010,000 Mu have been included in the scope of national ecological compensation. The forest coverage rate in Three-River’s source increased by 150 square kilometers in 2010, compared with the number of that in 2005. It has increased to 4.8% from 3.3% before the implementation of projects. Nature preserves( including 11 provincial or national preserves) in Qinghai cover 30% of the country’s area, up to 21,800,000 hectares③.

　　2.4 The living and production conditions of farmers and herdsmen have been improving.

　　Living allowances and subsidies on fuel have been offered the ecological migrants since 2009. Therefore, their basic living need can be met. At present, the average subsidy of ecological migration household in Yushu, Guoluo, Golmud is 14,400 yuan, while being 11,400 yuan in Huangnan, Hainan. There is a huge amount of venture-capital fund (30,000,000 yuan,) to support the development of subsequent industry in ecological migration area. It offered job opportunities for 1,683 labors of ecological migrants. On average, the per capita net income of farmers and herdsmen in Three-River’s source increased by 9.7% from 2006 to 2011. In order to ensure the ecological migrants move-out, settle-down, and become-richer, the special fund of 200,000,000 yuan has been invested in infrastructure construction in migration communities and migrants’ production and living improvvements. In 2011, the provincial government made some policies like opinions on the establishment of ecological compensation mechanism in Sanjiang source and practical rules. At the same time, the incentive policy of grassland ecological protection subsidies were implemented in the round and the pilot of wetland ecological compensation was carried out④.

　　3. The major problems in relation to ecological protection and construction of Three-River’s source

　　With the combined efforts of stakeholders, ecological protection of Three-River’s source has been the remarkable result and the Rules and Regulations has been finished. But there are some problems that restrict the further protection and construction and we should pay more attention to and deal with them.

　　3.1 Protection and construction were made blindly, to some degree, and the natural laws were not fully respected.

　　To protect and construct grassland, we should abide by the laws that the large Grassland ecosystem has its own. Otherwise, we may make it at high cost, and even damage the grassland greatly, resulting in grassland deterioration. In the course of protecting and constructing ecological environment of three-river’s source, the laws are always overlooked. The projects like grassland grazing were launched, exerting many negative effects. According to the related research, the fact that the sheep eats 700 kinds of grass can prevent some plants from growing and control the biological chain of the grassland ecosystem. Cattle and sheep’s waste is beneficial to the grassland ecosystem. But now, we may pay more attention to the favorable aspects of grassland grazing and ignore the negative effects on the grassland. Another example is rodents deratization that we could regard as one of the important measures to protect grassland and have devoted a lot of labor and material resources.Up to 2013, the total area of deratization is more than 100,000,000 Mu in Three-River’s source. However, the relevant study shows that Pika is the key species of alpine ecosystem and plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of plateau ecosystem. Pika is only the result rather than the cause of grassland degradation. According to some investigations, birds-predator did not only disappear in the regions where Pikas were killed by poisoning but the number of migratory birds depending on the burrows of Pikas greatly reduced as well. Poisoning Pikas can not only control the number of Pikas and restore grassland, but can damage the grassland, reduce biodiversity, and make ecosystem more vulnerable. Thus, it is difficult to keep taking the present methods of killing Pikas.

　　3.2 The government has been leading the projects and the role of local nomadic people is played slightly.

　　Ecological protection and construction of Sanjiang source is a huge system project. It does not only require the actions of different governments but also need the participation of the whole society, especially the herdsmen. However, the government has become the major role of protection work. The nomadic people are considered as the object to be resettled so that they may have nothing to do and rely on government subsidies. In addition, some illegal invaders mined gold from the grasslands and hunted wild animals on the sly while the herdsmen evacuated the grassland. As a result, some parts of grassland have been destructed. What can’t be ignored is that the government's strong intervention and capital investment is effective. However, the influence of government is limited. The ecological protection of government-dominated pattern is not scientific and in short of a strategic protection mechanism.

　　3.3 Paying too much attention to the ecological protection, the combination of the protection and livelihood of herders is not good.

　　The link between protecting environment and meeting the livelihood need of herders is interrelated. Environment protection accords with the long-term interests of herders. On the other hand, improving the livelihood of herders is beneficial to the protection and construction of ecological environment. Although this link was taken into consideration when the goal of ecological protection project of Three-River’s source was planned, the relationship of two aspects is unbalanced practically.  Additionally, in order to increase their income, some people hunted a lot of rodent-predators, resulting in damaging grassland ecological chain. Finally, some of the migrants may return to the pasture because they have no job in a new place, leading to the failure of prohibiting grazing project in recent years.

　　3.4 Failed to pay full attention to the cultural factors and the goal of protection project is just one-sided.

　　While protecting three-river’s source as one of Chinese towers, we should not forget to respect the nomadic culture. This kind of Tibetan nomadic culture is the most important part of Tibetan spiritual home and the life demand, and therefore, it has the irreplaceable important value to modern civilization.

　　4. The measures and suggestions on protection and construction

　　4.1 Some actions should been taken strictly in accordance with the ecological laws.

　　At the moment, some of actions taken are not ineffective or even harmful to ecological environment because we don’t respect full natural laws. Some research have shown that making good use of natural force is the most scientific and economical approach, like the British ecological restoration in mining industry. So, we should have a reasonable attitude at the nature, making decisions and taking measures based on the natural laws, in order to protect and construct the ecological environment in three-river’s source. As for the problems like grassland grazing and rodent control, it is necessary to examine the decisions and actions again and to seek method and path in line with the natural laws.

　　4.2 The subjective effect of the nomadic people should be exerted fully in the protection and construction of ecological environment.

　　In recent years, Conservation Steward Program explored in Sanjiang source area is a successful pattern that the nomadic people can play an important role in the protection and construction of ecological environment under the guidance of the government. In the past, the government-led model made the migrants in community become bystanders or even destroyers because the rights and wills of residents weren’t always paid enough attention. The participatory management of CSP made the local herdsmen be active participators in environment conservation and the stakeholders like the management agencies, the local governments, community and the local herdsmen have established partnerships, to solve the problems from the process of protecting ecological environment and the sustainable development of the community.

　　4.3 The development of subsequent industries should be actively promoted, providing job opportunities for the herdsmen and migrants.

　　Speaking of the subsequent industries, there are the following aspects to be taken into considerations. First of all, the development of organic animal husbandry is a good option. The unique geographical characteristics and ecological conditions of Three-River’s source are very favorable and beneficial to the organic animal husbandry. Secondly, such an invaluable industry with traditional ethnic culture as Tibetan carpet, Tibetan medicine etc. should be researched and developed as soon as possible. Thirdly, the development of top tourism is a good approach to achieve the double aim of economy and ecology because plateau culture and geographical environment in three-river’s source are decisive factors to tourism industry. Finally, the roles of nomads have changed from taking advantage of the pasture to protecting it and what they are paid for their work should be normalized.

　　4.4 We should attach great importance to the protection and reconstruction of the nomadic culture.

　　The precious and vulnerable nomadic culture in Sanjiang source, as one important part of Chinese culture, is invaluable to modern civilization. It is not the obstacle of natural ecological protection but the tool of solving the problems caused in modern society. There are some methods to protecting and constructing the nomadic culture as follows. Firstly, we should respect the ecological migrants and try to pave the ways for their daily life like infrastructure construction of Tibetan Buddhist. Secondly, each year, the governments should organize some traditional, cultural and artistic activities such as archery competition, costume show, horse racing, ethnic concert, handicrafts and food etc. Thirdly, the houses of migrants and community environment should have the characteristics of Tibetan culture from the perspectives of building layout, structure and architectural style.

　　References

　　①②③④《Phase II of the Project Planning of Qinghai Three-River’s Source of Ecological Protection and Construction》

　　(Chen Wei, Vice President, Communist Party School of Qinghai provincial Committee)