Ecological Situation in Qinghai Lake

Birds

　　There are 163 kinds of birds in the Qinghai Lake area, whose total number is more than 160,000. Among those, the number of Anser indicus Latham is more than 2130,000; Larus brunnicephalus 45,000; Larus ichthyaetus 87,400; Common Cormorant 11,200; and Black-necked crane; Tadorna ferruginea and etc.

Fishes

　　There are five famous species of fishes in Qinghai Lake, including Sharp Spines Noemacheilinae; Labridae Noemacheilinae and “Huang”fish ( In order to adjust to the environment, the fish took off its squama. Its appearance is similar to carp with black dots on its back. Between Jun and Jul, they flow back to the river to lay eggs.) The annual production amount of “Huang”fish is １９１,１８０ton. With the time passing by, the amount of “Huang”fish has become less. In 1964, Qinghai Lake is authorized as national preserve and “Huang”fish as valuable aquatic economic animal.

Tourism

　　Tourism in Qinghai Lake area has a long history. Every spring and summer, many groups or individuals come to visit lake and birds. In 1979, Shanying Machinery Plant began to develop local tourist resources by taking advantage of port and boats. In 1988, this plant went bankrupt and the whole tourist facilities were transferred to Zhangfang Hotel which belonged to Qinghai Travel Agency. The main tour spots included “Tangfan Gudao” Site, grassland scenery, Tibetan families; tasting Tibetan food and etc. The best period for traveling is from Jun to Sep. You can travel along Qinghai-Tibetan road or Qinghai-Tibetan railway.

River systems in Qinghai Lake area

　　The source of Qinghai Lake is mainly from rivers, and then springs at the bottom of the lake and rainfalls. There are more than 70 rivers around the lake, among which most locate on the north and west. The four important rivers are Buha River, Shaliu River, Wuha Alan River, and Ha’er gai River. The annual runoff of these four rivers is 1.612 billion steres, which occupies 86% of the overall amount. The longest river-Buha River is about 300km, whose annual runoff is 1.12 billion steres, which is 60% of all. Every year, the overall water sources to the lake is 3.493 billion steres , with the rivers offer 1.335 billion steres, while the rainfall is 1.557 billion steres and underground water offers 0.4 billion steres. Due to the strong winds in the lake area, the annual evaporation capacity is 3.93 billion steres. As a result, the lost of water is 0.437 billion steres annually.