Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, National nature reserve in Qinghai Province, China
The Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve is a large protected area in Qinghai Province that spreads across alpine meadows, wetlands, and mountain terrain on the Tibetan Plateau. The landscape features rugged mountain ridges, glaciers, countless lakes, and open highland grasslands that form a remote and harsh ecosystem.
The government established this protected area in 2000 to safeguard the sources of three major Asian rivers: the Yangtze, Yellow, and Mekong. This action recognized the global importance of this region as a crucial freshwater source for the continent.
Tibetan communities practice traditional herding in designated areas of the reserve, maintaining their deep connection to this sacred land as they have for generations. Daily life here reflects a way of living that has remained largely unchanged, rooted in the rhythms of the landscape and seasons.
Visiting the reserve requires special permits and must be done with authorized guides, as the remote location and strict access rules apply throughout. Summer offers the best conditions for travel, while winters are extremely cold and often make the terrain impassable.
The reserve holds more than 2,000 snow-capped peaks and about 5,000 square kilometers of glaciers that supply water to millions of people in river deltas downstream. These glaciers are melting at a notable pace, making the reserve a key place to observe climate change effects across Asia.
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