Province key ecological buffer

Significant progress has been made in pollution control. The action plan for preventing and controlling air, water and soil pollution was thoroughly implemented, and the 'Qinghai blue' and 'Qinghai clear' conditions associated with the province have been restored.

Native wildlife numbers are also on the rebound. The Tibetan antelope population rose to more than 70,000 from fewer than 20,000 in the 1980s. Every spring, more than 100,000 migratory birds flock to an island on Qinghai Lake to breed. Home to the headwaters of China's three major rivers-the Yellow, Yangtze and Lancang-the Sanjiangyuan region will open as a national park next year.