China in 2024: Striving for "clear water and lush mountains"
During his 2024 inspections of provinces and regions in northwest China, an area characterized by a fragile ecological environment due to its dry climate and plateau landscape, Chinese President Xi Jinping consistently highlighted the significance of safeguarding and rehabilitating the ecological environment and biodiversity.
TroibNews 
**Editor's note:** CN presents "China in 2024," a special series focused on the nation's advancements in enhancing livelihoods, fostering high-quality development, deepening reforms, furthering openness, promoting scientific and technological innovation, supporting cultural development, and preserving ecological balance, alongside its diplomatic successes.
In the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of northwest China, a once-arid land marked by shifting sands has evolved into a thriving oasis over recent decades, driven by a dedicated desertification control initiative.
This Ningxia model was prominently featured at the China Pavilion during the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Valerie Hickey, the global director of the Environment Department at the World Bank, remarked at the event that the approach illustrates how creating livable environments, enhancing land quality, and restoring landscapes can alleviate poverty and generate prosperity.
The model exemplifies China’s wider commitment to environmental stewardship, ecological governance, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable development.
During his 2024 visits to various provinces and regions in northwest China, an area characterized by a fragile ecological landscape due to its arid climate and plateau topography, Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly underscored the need to protect and restore ecological integrity and biodiversity.
**Yellow River: A beautiful future ahead**
The conservation of the Yellow River remains a top priority for the government.
China's Mother River traverses nine provinces and autonomous regions, irrigating approximately 17 percent of the nation’s arable land while supporting 13 percent of grain output, making its protection critical.
Since August 1999, the river has flowed continuously due to unified water resource management, though it faces ecological challenges, including loose soil, varied terrain, heavy rainfall, and limited vegetation.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi has visited nine provinces and autonomous regions along the Yellow River to advocate for ongoing ecological preservation and promote high-quality development within the basin.
The Yellow River Protection Law, which became effective in April 2023, is the second such legislation in China focusing on a specific river basin, addressing concerns such as water scarcity, ecological vulnerabilities, and flooding.
When inspecting a section of the Yellow River near the Zhongshan Bridge in Lanzhou, the capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, in September, Xi called for sustained efforts in ecological conservation within the basin.
"Protection is a precondition for development, and lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," asserted Xi, while expressing optimism about the river’s future beauty.
**Biodiversity conservation in China**
In June, Xi visited Qinghai Province, located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known for its fragile ecosystem and the Sanjiangyuan region, the source of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers.
During his visit, he highlighted the significance of protecting the Sanjiangyuan area—referred to as "the water tower of China"—to safeguard biodiversity and improve water conservation efforts.
Over the past five years, the expanse of water bodies and wetland ecosystems in Sanjiangyuan has increased by 309 square kilometers, with annual water conservation improving by over 6 percent, as revealed in a statement from the Three-River-Source National Park in October.
The park, one of China’s initial national parks, has experienced steady growth in wildlife numbers and ongoing enhancements in biodiversity. For example, the Tibetan antelope population has soared from fewer than 20,000 in the early 1980s to over 70,000 currently. Once designated as endangered, this species is now classified as near-endangered.
Qinghai has implemented ecological protection "red lines" across 296,400 square kilometers, according to a recently released document outlining the province's spatial planning up to 2035.
Beyond national parks and red-line strategies for ecological protection, China has expanded its nature reserve system, promoting integrated conservation and restoration of ecosystems across mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts.
The nation has established nearly 10,000 nature reserves, accounting for about 18 percent of its land area, and boasts the most substantial growth in forest resources among all countries, as detailed in a 2021 white paper titled "Biodiversity Conservation in China."
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
In the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of northwest China, a once-arid land marked by shifting sands has evolved into a thriving oasis over recent decades, driven by a dedicated desertification control initiative.
This Ningxia model was prominently featured at the China Pavilion during the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Valerie Hickey, the global director of the Environment Department at the World Bank, remarked at the event that the approach illustrates how creating livable environments, enhancing land quality, and restoring landscapes can alleviate poverty and generate prosperity.
The model exemplifies China’s wider commitment to environmental stewardship, ecological governance, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable development.
During his 2024 visits to various provinces and regions in northwest China, an area characterized by a fragile ecological landscape due to its arid climate and plateau topography, Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly underscored the need to protect and restore ecological integrity and biodiversity.
**Yellow River: A beautiful future ahead**
The conservation of the Yellow River remains a top priority for the government.
China's Mother River traverses nine provinces and autonomous regions, irrigating approximately 17 percent of the nation’s arable land while supporting 13 percent of grain output, making its protection critical.
Since August 1999, the river has flowed continuously due to unified water resource management, though it faces ecological challenges, including loose soil, varied terrain, heavy rainfall, and limited vegetation.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi has visited nine provinces and autonomous regions along the Yellow River to advocate for ongoing ecological preservation and promote high-quality development within the basin.
The Yellow River Protection Law, which became effective in April 2023, is the second such legislation in China focusing on a specific river basin, addressing concerns such as water scarcity, ecological vulnerabilities, and flooding.
When inspecting a section of the Yellow River near the Zhongshan Bridge in Lanzhou, the capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, in September, Xi called for sustained efforts in ecological conservation within the basin.
"Protection is a precondition for development, and lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," asserted Xi, while expressing optimism about the river’s future beauty.
**Biodiversity conservation in China**
In June, Xi visited Qinghai Province, located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known for its fragile ecosystem and the Sanjiangyuan region, the source of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers.
During his visit, he highlighted the significance of protecting the Sanjiangyuan area—referred to as "the water tower of China"—to safeguard biodiversity and improve water conservation efforts.
Over the past five years, the expanse of water bodies and wetland ecosystems in Sanjiangyuan has increased by 309 square kilometers, with annual water conservation improving by over 6 percent, as revealed in a statement from the Three-River-Source National Park in October.
The park, one of China’s initial national parks, has experienced steady growth in wildlife numbers and ongoing enhancements in biodiversity. For example, the Tibetan antelope population has soared from fewer than 20,000 in the early 1980s to over 70,000 currently. Once designated as endangered, this species is now classified as near-endangered.
Qinghai has implemented ecological protection "red lines" across 296,400 square kilometers, according to a recently released document outlining the province's spatial planning up to 2035.
Beyond national parks and red-line strategies for ecological protection, China has expanded its nature reserve system, promoting integrated conservation and restoration of ecosystems across mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts.
The nation has established nearly 10,000 nature reserves, accounting for about 18 percent of its land area, and boasts the most substantial growth in forest resources among all countries, as detailed in a 2021 white paper titled "Biodiversity Conservation in China."
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
