People’s Daily
March 19, 2006

A new association for protecting the eco-environment at the water sources of China’s three major rivers — the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang — has been founded in capital of the northwestern province Qinghai, where the rivers rise.

An association for protecting the eco-environment at the water sources of China’s three major rivers — the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang — was founded Friday in Xi’ ning, capital of the northwestern province of Qinghai, where the rivers rise. The association was jointly initiated by government departments and enterprises involved in water conservancy, hydropower, forestry, meteorology, agriculture, water supply and environmental protection, following the decline in the eco-environment featured by soil erosion and desertification among others in the water source regions. It will devote itself to promoting water resources protection and raising the public awareness of environmental protection, said Zhu Xianlu, vice-president of the association. The Chinese government approved last year the building of its largest nature reserve — the Three Rivers’ Source Reserve, which covers a total area of 318,000 square kilometers, or nearly half of the province. For more information about pollution on the Yantze River, see: