Demoiselle cranes gather at a wetland in Barkol prairie at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The wetland, which is 80 km long and 15 km wide, is an important habitat for migratory birds. The Barkol Kazakh autonomous county has invested 160 million yuan ($25.7 million) in the perseveration and protection of the prairie since 2009. (Photo: China News Service/Que Aimin)