As the source of the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, and the Lancang River, Qinghai holds a vital and unique ecological status, bearing the significant responsibility of safeguarding the "China Water Tower" and strengthening the national ecological security barrier.

On May 20th, at a special press conference held in Xining, Qinghai Province to kick off the 15th Five Year Plan, Qinghai Province officially announced that during the 14th Five Year Plan period, Qinghai is the only province in China with three national parks under construction and the only province in China with a 100% excellent surface water quality rate for five consecutive years.

There are over 5800 lakes scattered throughout Maduo County at the source of the Yellow River.

"We patrol and monitor the ecological conditions every week," said Xili, a herdsman and ecological ranger who grew up at the source of the Yellow River. "Over the years, the grass has grown taller, the lake has expanded, and we can see more and more wild animals as well."

This is a flock of sheep captured by Qinghai Lake on August 9, 2025. （Xinhua |Li Zhanyi）

However, waste disposal in the areas surrounding Qinghai Lake used to be a challenge for local officials.

Since the establishment of the Qinghai Lake National Park in 2022, Qinghai Province has been comprehensively advancing various creation tasks. A three-tier management system consisting of "Administration – Sub-bureaus – Protection Stations" has been put in place at the Qinghai Lake scenic area. With four sub-bureaus and twelve frontline protection stations, ecological protection efforts have been extended to every corner of the Qinghai Lake basin.

This is a view of Gyaring Lake taken on March 10, 2026, in Madoi County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province (drone photo).（Xinhua |Li Zhanyi）

The ecological protection practices at Qinghai Lake are a vivid demonstration site of Qinghai Province's efforts to build a solid ecological security barrier, where "blue skies on the plateau, clear waters in the rivers, and green grasslands" are becoming the new scene.

"At present, Qinghai Province is actively promoting the overall optimization of its protected natural areas, continuously consolidating the ecological foundation of the plateau, and achieving increasingly notable results in biodiversity conservation," said Hou Tianmin, Deputy Director of the Qinghai Provincial Forestry and Grassland Administration. (Li Zhanyi)