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XINING, Aug. 16-- As a red sun rose behind the clouds and reflected on the water, visitors and shutterbugs followed paths along the shore of the Qinghai Lake in the chattering of ruddy shelducks and brown-headed gulls looking for the best spot to capture the lake as it sparkled in the first rays of dawn. The spectacular and colorful views provide a unique raw landscape for creations from photographers and oil painters. Qinghai Lake, China's largest inland saltwater lake in the northwestern province of Qinghai, is a crucial body of water to maintain ecological security in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It offers a glimpse into the improving ecology of the "roof of the world" as well as the determination of the Chinese government to pursue green development through decades of protection of the lake. PROTECTING SPECIES GENE POOL With a maximum altitude of 5,291 meters, the Qinghai Lake, which straddles two Tibetan autonomous prefectures of Hainan and Haibei in the province, has a water area of 4,549.38 square kilometers, a gene pool for species on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In 2008, the province launched a 10-year plan on the ecological environment protection and comprehensive management of the Qinghai Lake Basin with a total investment of 1.57 billion yuan (about 226 million U.S. dollars). A total of 800 hectares of wetland had been restored by 2018, with banning, delaying and rotational grazing implemented on more than 31,000 hectares of land. | 
