Nagchu champions glacier protection on plateau

Painstaking efforts

As central and regional authorities attach increasingly greater importance to the glaciers, Nagchu may realize a more improved ecological aquatic environment.

Over the past few decades, Chinese researchers have been strictly monitoring the changes in the glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and they work together with the local government to resolve environmental issues such as glacier melting.

Since its establishment in 2005, researchers at the Tanggula Mountain Cryosphere and Environment Observation and Research Station of the Xizang Autonomous Region, part of the China Academy of Sciences' Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, have been working hard in the icy environment, walking on glaciers

and in snowfields at an altitude of over 5,500 meters.

They conduct long-term observations and make continuous recordings of the geological, hydrological, meteorological and permafrost conditions in the source area of the Yangtze.

Xu Qiangqiang, an assistant researcher at the institute, said his team has regularly conducted comprehensive assessments and health checkups of the glaciers in the area using advanced observation and mapping techniques in Nagchu over the past few years.

Xu said Nagchu is implementing an integrated protection strategy, adhering to the systematic management of mountains, waters, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, sands and ice.

"The approach of prioritizing natural restoration and combining natural recovery with artificial restoration in the system management has proved to be very effective. They are upholding ecological protection redlines, including large ice caps and small-scale glacier clusters, and designating them within the ecological protection red line," he said.

Xu also said for important snowcapped glaciers, they are implementing protection measures to curb human disturbances.

"Additionally, Nagchu is restricting tourism and mountaineering activities in certain glacier areas such as the Ganglung Changmar Glacier," he added. "Aside from necessary scientific research and resource surveys, all tourism activities are prohibited, and checkpoints have been set up on roads leading to the glaciers to advise tourists to turn back."

According to Xu, there are about 200,000 glaciers worldwide, with the largest located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which has roughly 100,000 glaciers.