For the first time, a special fund has been established for
wildlife protection in China's large construction projects,
according to Lu Chunfang, secretary of the Party committee of the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company. The fund is already in operation
along the line now under construction.
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of 4,000
meters, is one of three areas in China with the most fragile
ecological environment, said Lu. To protect the pristine nature of
the land, the central government has invested heavily in the
establishment of the Hoh Xil, Sanjiangyuan and Qiangtang nature
reserves under state-level protection.
With the building of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, people are
paying more attention to the survival situation of wild animals in
an area that is home to such rare species as Tibetan antelopes,
yaks, white-lipped deer, snow leopards and black-necked cranes, all
of which are under state first-level protection; goa, argali, blue
sheep and bar-headed geese, meanwhile, are under state second-level
protection.
Lu, who has participated in a number of the country's key
construction projects, said that, to guarantee that the animals'
living conditions would not be adversely affected, 33 passageways
have been opened for their seasonal migrations. This is based on
close studies of the animals' regular habitats, and patterns of
procreation and migration.
In the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve, Tibetan antelopes migrate to the
northern area with a cooler climate and rich water and grass
resources to lamb in June-July and return with their offspring in
August. The Qingshuihe Bridge, stretching 11.7 km, is the longest
passageway built for the migration of wild animals.
"The design of the passages includes the building of lots of
bridges and culverts as well as the adjustment of roadbeds. The
slope rate has been changed from 1:1.5 to 1:2.5," said Fang. "The
gentle slopes are more convenient for the migration of wild
animals."
The building of the passages provides advantageous space for the
migration of wild animals living along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
According to the railway construction department, in recent years,
animals have frequently passed through the passages built here with
no disruption to the construction work.
When inspecting the railway, officials from the State Environmental
Protection Administration said that the passages conform to the
lifestyle of wild animals and effectively helps protect the rare
species.
The construction of the 33 passages has all been completed,
according to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Construction
Headquarter.
The overall picture
So far, the central government has invested 2 billion yuan
(US$242 million) into making the Qinghai-Tibet Railway a
world-class, environmentally friendly railway, which accounts for
eight percent of the total investment for the project, said Lu
Chunfang, adding: "We intend to build a green corridor across the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau."
Tibetan antelopes, a world-level endangered species, face three
major threats to their survival, according to the Science and
Technology Department of northwest China's Qinghai Province. It was
primarily to protect them that the central government set up the
three nature reserves on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau including Hoh
Xil.
This was built in 1998 in an area where antelope poaching is
strictly prohibited. At the construction site of the ongoing
Qinghai-Tibet Railway project, workers are ordered to stop
construction when migrating antelopes pass the work site to give
them free, undisturbed passage.
So far, the number of Tibetan antelopes in China has climbed to
80,000.
(China.org.cn by Li Jingrong, July 2, 2004)