Local herders act as guardians of Qinghai natl park

Ecological rangers are becoming a key force in protecting the Three-River-Source National Park in Qinghai province, turning local herders into front-line guardians of one of China's most important ecological security barriers.

The Three-River-Source area is the origin of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. Its vast plateau landscape makes daily protection difficult through administrative supervision alone. By involving local residents who know the land best, the park has built a community-based conservation network covering pastures, rivers, lakes and wetlands.

A cornerstone of the park's conservation efforts is the "one household, one post" policy, under which each household in the park area is offered an ecological public welfare position.

By the end of 2025, the Three-River-Source National Park had added such posts in newly expanded areas, increasing the total number from 17,211 to 20,843. Rangers receive 1,800 yuan ($265) a month, providing a stable income while encouraging local participation in conservation.

In the Yangtze River Source section, the Zhidoi management office has 4,047 ecological rangers, said Tashi Wangyel, deputy director of the office.

Tashi Wangyel said the park has promoted an "ecological ranger plus" model, expanding rangers' responsibilities beyond routine patrols. In addition to protecting mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes and grasslands, they serve as river and lake patrol workers, forest and grassland protectors, policy promoters, dispute mediators and, in some cases, ecological monitors.

The model has helped transform herders from traditional resource users into ecological protectors while supporting rural vitalization, he said.

In the Yellow River Source section, which covers more than 70 percent of Madoi county, there are 3,392 ecological rangers, according to Han Changpeng, head of the section's ecological protection station. Across the county, the number has reached 3,710.

The rangers operate through township ranger stations, village-level teams and smaller patrol groups. Many patrol their own pastures and nearby areas, with each responsible for about 2,000 hectares.

Their duties include checking for poaching, illegal fishing, unauthorized mining, sand extraction, littering and damage to wildlife habitats.

The expanded patrol network has produced tangible results.

Choyang Tsering, head of the resource and environmental law enforcement bureau of the Yellow River Source management committee, said illegal hunting, fishing, gold mining and sand mining have largely disappeared as patrols and supervision have strengthened.

Madoi has also seen its water systems recover.

The number of lakes has increased from more than 4,000 in earlier years to 5,849, while the number of rivers has risen from more than 700 to 959, Choyang Tsering said. Fish resources have also improved, and larger fish can now be seen in rivers where they were once rare.

Wildlife populations have rebounded as habitats have improved.

Tashi Wangyel said the population of Tibetan antelopes, a flagship species, has increased from fewer than 20,000 in the early stage of the park's construction to more than 70,000 across the Three-River-Source National Park. Tibetan wild donkeys, once relatively rare, are now frequently seen along roads and on grasslands.

Rangers also play an important role in wildlife rescue.

Han recalled a case last year in which a herder serving as an ecological ranger spotted an injured black-necked crane near Huanghe township and reported it. After a joint search by park staff, local herders and police, the bird was rescued and transferred to a wildlife rescue institution in Qinghai.

In the Yangtze River Source area, conservation has also been integrated with public education and community development. Zhidoi county has encouraged residents to join environmental protection associations and established ecological classrooms in primary schools to foster environmental awareness from an early age.

The area is also exploring ecological experience programs, including a "polar nomadic school" that combines modern conservation concepts with traditional nomadic culture. Students, researchers and visitors can learn about water source protection, plateau culture and herding life.

Local residents are also given priority in ecological restoration projects. In 2025, Zhidoi involved 136 herders in projects such as black soil beach rehabilitation and desertification control, with each participant earning an average of 13,000 yuan.

The park's ecological ranger system demonstrates that protecting the environment depends not only on policies and technology but also on the people who live on and know the land best, Tashi Wangyel said. By linking conservation with livelihoods, the park has made local herders both beneficiaries and guardians of the plateau ecosystem.