PASANG, an ecological conservator in Chumarle County of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province, was more energetic this month as he patrolled the headwaters of the Yellow River.

As the Yellow River Protection Law took effect in China on April 1, Pasang said the law will be a powerful tool to protect the headwaters of the Yellow River.

The law was adopted in October 2022 and features enriched content regarding ecological conservation and restoration, as well as environmental pollution control, in areas along the Yellow River, regarded as China’s “Mother River.”

The Yellow River is the country’s second-largest river after the Yangtze. The Yangtze River Protection Law, China’s first legislation on a specific river basin, was put into effect March 1, 2021.

Previously, certain individuals had come to release exotic fish species into the headwaters of the Yellow River, posing a potential threat to the local ecology. “If there’s no serious violation, I would just give verbal warnings to the people to refrain from such acts,” Pasang said.

After the law took effect, those who release exotic fish into the Yellow River basin and cause serious consequences may be fined between 100,000 yuan (US$14,527) and 1 million yuan.

Currently, there are 3,142 ecological conservators who were originally local herdsmen, stationed at the source area of the Yellow River.

According to Gan Xuebin, an official with the administrative committee of the source area of the Yellow River of the Sanjiangyuan National Park, the two large lakes — Gyaring and Ngoring — in the Yellow River’s headwaters area, saw their surface areas expand by 74.6 and 117.4 square km respectively from 2015. (Xinhua)