Qinghai Lake to become national park

XINING — Qinghai Lake, China's largest inland saltwater lake, is poised to become a new national park, a milestone in the environmental protection efforts of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

All tasks required for the establishment of the park have been completed, said Wu Xiaojun, governor of Northwest China's Qinghai province.

Wu added that Qinghai has proved to be a leader in national park construction, citing the release of a master plan for the comprehensive protection of the Sanjiangyuan National Park last year as well as the upcoming official designation of the Qilian Mountain National Park.

Qinghai Lake, located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is an important ecological barrier in northern China and a key stopover site for migratory birds.

In 2022, China approved a plan to establish a national park at the lake, which has witnessed improvements in its environment and the rapid restoration of its biodiversity in recent years.

"The planned scope of the Qinghai Lake national park demonstrates its national representativeness, ecological significance and the feasibility of management," said Dong Fuhai, director of the protection and utilization administration in the Qinghai Lake scenic area.

According to the plan, the core protection areas of the park consist of the main source areas of rivers flowing into Qinghai Lake, the habitats of rare and endangered species such as the Przewalski's gazelle, key migratory channels for the naked carp and areas critical for bird migration.

Based on the pivotal status of Qinghai Lake in terms of ecological security, the local government has adopted a holistic strategy to safeguard the authenticity, integrity and biodiversity of the ecosystem, Dong said.