Across China: China sets up office for upcoming national park

Tourism and organic farming will be piloted in limited areas of Sanjiangyuan, "Asia's water tower," following the inauguration of the administrative office for the country's first national park.

The administrative bureau for Sanjiangyuan National Park was launched Tuesday in Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province.

It will take five years for the 123,000 square kilometer park to be elevated to national-park level from its current as Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, which was established in 2000.

Sanjiangyuan in southwest China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang (Mekong) rivers.

Over the past decade, the reserve has received 9 billion yuan (1.37 million U.S. dollars) of government funding to rehabilitate its fragile eco-system. Around 700,000 herdsmen and farmers have received compensation for loss of earnings due to the ongoing ecological protection efforts.

"Over the years, ecological degrading has been basically curbed, which has helped conserve some 8 billion cubic meters of water and increased grass land by 30 percent," said Li.

However, there are still problems ranging from overlapping authority, weak law enforcement, lack of public awareness and a conflict between ecological protection and people's need for higher incomes, he said.

Li said the administration bureau would develop tourism, organic farming and stockbreeding in certain areas to create employment opportunities.

To this end, test schemes will be carried out in four counties in Golog and Yushu prefectures as well as Hol Xil, covering a total of 123,000 square km, or 30 percent of the reserve.

The bureau will also test new management methods such as charity work, a grassland compensation mechanism and volunteering. Endi