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Ecological Protection and Restoration in Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, Qinghai Province, China

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Book cover Perspectives on Environmental Management and Technology in Asian River Basins

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Geography ((BRIEFSGEOGRAPHY))

Abstract

Historical data and published results are reviewed to assess the rationale and design criteria used to establish the Sanjiangyuan (Three Source Region) National Nature Reserve in Qinghai Province, China. This area, which comprises the headwaters of the Yellow, Yangtze and Mekong Rivers, has been described as the ‘Third Pole’ or the ‘Roof of the Earth’. Key drivers for the designation of this ecological reserve include concerns for sustainable water resources management and biodiversity management, especially the protection of endangered flora and fauna. These issues are placed in context of prevailing and prospective threats, namely climate change, environmental degradation associated with overgrazing and burrowing mammals, and human-induced pressures (population growth and various land use practices). Ecological protection and restoration measures being applied in the Sanjiangyuan region are reviewed. The approach to environmental conservation and management parallels initiatives applied in many other parts of the world, with 18 core areas, connected and/or surrounded by buffer areas, with experimental areas beyond. Adopted measures are framed primarily in relation to wetland functions, striving to protect water resources and the precious but fragile ecosystems in this region. Water resources planning strategies and landscape ecology programmes link lake and river ecosystems to grassland, forest and wetland management strategies at the landscape scale.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (30760160), MOE (2010-1595) and MOST 2011DFA20820. The authors thank Chen Gang, Jiang Lu-Jia, Qiao You-ming, Li Ji-lan, Pei Hai-kun, Lu Guang-xin, Wang Chun-qing, Fu Yang and Zhang Jing for their help in collecting information for the manuscript, and Igor Drecki for drafting the figures. Helpful guidance by the editor of this special issue, David Higgitt, and two anonymous reviewers is gratefully acknowledged. Critical appraisal and constructive guidance by Marc Foggin is particularly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agricultural and Animal Husbandry College, Qinghai University, Xining, China

    Xi-lai Li, Yong-li Xie & Hai-qun Sun

  2. School of Environment, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand

    Gary Brierley

  3. Qinghai Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau, Xining, China

    De-jun Shi

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  1. Xi-lai Li
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  2. Gary Brierley
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  3. De-jun Shi
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  4. Yong-li Xie
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  5. Hai-qun Sun
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Correspondence to Gary Brierley .

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  1. , Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 129792, Singapore

    David Higgitt

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Li, Xl., Brierley, G., Shi, Dj., Xie, Yl., Sun, Hq. (2012). Ecological Protection and Restoration in Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, Qinghai Province, China. In: Higgitt, D. (eds) Perspectives on Environmental Management and Technology in Asian River Basins. SpringerBriefs in Geography. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2330-6_6

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