China is developing a park - named the Sanjiangyuan National Park - to protect the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers.

Authorities are also looking to rehabilitate the facilities in the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve (SNNR), located in Qinghai province, Tibet, and more enact efficient regulations to protect its wildlife. 

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The Sanjiangyuan National Park will cover an area of 123,100 square kilometers and will house various species, including endangered ones such as snow leopards and Tibetan antelopes. Tourism and education projects will be allowed on the outskirts of the park. 

Meanwhile, the core zone, which covers 31, 218 square kilometers of land, will retain its status as home to endangered species, making it a 'no man's zone.' 

Yangtze River, the longest in the country, will cover 90,300 square kilometers of land, including 15 villages with more than 20,000 residents. Seventy percent of the national park will be for Yangtze's headwaters.  

It will span the Tongtian river and the Hol Xil nature reserve, which applied for world nature heritage status in 2017. The Qinghai provincial government is also working on four wetland parks in the SNNR, one of which will be located along a part of the Yangtze's headwaters. 

Thousands of residents have been relocated to other places, while those remaining will continue to live normally. 

"Local people will remain in the park, following their traditional way of life," said Lyu Yuan, spokesperson of Yushu city's environment protection office. Yushu is a city of Qinghai province. 

Draft plans for the park are expected to be approved in March. 

TagsSanjiangyuan National Park, Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, China environment, Chinese government national park