China rushes to protect wetland on Tibet Plateau

ABA,Sichuan - Efforts to protect wetlands on the Tibet Plateau in Southwest China's Sichuan province from overgrazing are being ramped up, local environmental authorities said.

Large swathes of the Zogye Wetland have been restored since the establishment of the Zogye National Nature Reserve in 2002, according to Ega, head of the Zogye county wetland protection bureau.

The wetlands have faced danger in the form of 460,000 livestock, mainly yaks and horses, raised by 3,000 local families.

"We have been stepping up efforts to protect the shrinking wetland by urging local herders to restore the land and giving them compensation for doing so," said Ega, adding that the herders receive subsidies worth a total of 250,000 yuan ($40,000) annually to compensate them for land that their animals are unable to graze on.

Local ecological authorities have informed the herders of the wetland's importance and strengthened patrols around the wetland, which functions as a major source for the Yellow River, China's second longest waterway.

Ega said more than 54 million yuan has been allocated to help manage the wetland and build infrastructure for its reserve.

"Huahu Lake, which lies in the heart of the Zogye Wetland, has seen its water level increase markedly compared to last year," he said.

The lake's surface area has nearly tripled thanks to protection efforts and sufficient rainfall, Ega said, adding that the environment around the lake has improved as well.

However, Ega said more money will be needed to prevent the wetland from shrinking.

"Although a great deal of money has been designated for the protection of the Zogye Wetland, we are still suffering from insufficient funding," he said.

Ecologists estimated that at least 4 billion yuan will be needed to fully address the wetland's environmental problems.