Recent studies and monitoring by Chinese scientists have revealed that the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China continues to be one of the regions with the best ecological environment quality globally. The region’s ongoing ecological security barrier construction project has achieved significant benefits.
According to Wang Xiaodan, a researcher at the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xizang has successfully preserved the authenticity of its ecosystems, with a rate of change in ecological patterns of less than one percent. This rate is significantly lower than in other regions of China, establishing a robust foundation for constructing the national ecological security barrier.
Ten monitoring stations have been established in Xizang, providing crucial technical and data support for evaluating the ecological security barrier’s functioning and assessing the effectiveness of its construction. The region has seen improvements in carbon sequestration, water source conservation, soil conservation, and sand fixation. Notably, the population of Tibetan antelopes has grown from about 70,000 to nearly 300,000.
The region boasts a forest coverage of 12.31 percent, with improved quality of grasslands and 66 percent of natural wetlands under effective protection. The area affected by desertification has decreased by 35,000 hectares since 2010, and the occurrence of hazardous sand and dust weather in the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley has dropped by two-thirds.
Xizang now hosts various types of nature reserves covering 412,300 square kilometers, protecting 217 species of nationally key protected wild animals and 38 species of nationally key protected wild plants. The annual average concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in major cities have decreased by 28.1 percent and 37.5 percent, respectively, since 2015.
The region’s drinking water sources meet national standards, with a 100 percent compliance rate, and most arable soils contain heavy metal elements at levels better than national first-class soil standards.
However, scientists caution that Xizang’s high-altitude and cold ecological environment is extremely fragile, requiring sustained and long-term efforts to achieve lasting ecological security. The ecological security barrier project, proposed in 2006 and approved by the State Council in 2009, aims to be completed by 2030, marking over two decades of dedicated work.
By 2030, scientists predict that Xizang will achieve the overall goals of effective protection, successful governance, stable improvement, and ecological security.