A group of environmental guards are patrolling in severe winter cold in a key national park that covers a wide area of northwest China, fulfilling their responsibilities of protecting ecosystem and delivering ecological benefits to local people.

In the Qilian Mountains National Park, the rangers are monitoring the flora and fauna resources.

The Qilian Mountains, located on the border of the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai, is considered a vital shield for ecological security in the western part of China.

The mountain range was designated a national nature reserve in 1988. However, illegal mining projects and hydropower stations sprang up as a result of lax supervision in recent years, inflicting significant damage to the environment.

An ecological restoration campaign was launched in October 2015 across the reserve, which covers close to 2 million hectares, with construction projects under close scrutiny and mines being decommissioned.

Alongside the conservation campaign, persistent efforts of the park rangers in recent years have paid off, with wide lush pastures restored and the wildlife monitored effectively.

According to last year's record, over 70 new species of wild animals in the past decade in the national park. 

A ranger said the team conducts a 22-day routine patrol every month, no matter what weather conditions they face.

"We need to set up the infrared cameras. Sometimes we have to replace them when the cameras break due to the winter cold," said He Chengwu, a ranger.

As the population of wildlife grows in the region, a balance between shepherds' livelihood and environmental conservation has been stressed in the rangers' work.

A team of rangers has protected many local households from the attack of some fierce animals like bears and wolves, distributing buzzers and promoting safety knowledge to the herders.

"When the bears come, people usually would be scared and stay at home. So they can turn this alarm on and scare off the bears with the sound. It also works with the wolves," said Zhang Liping, a ranger.

The rangers said they enjoy the value of their hard work day after day, drawing morale from a local song: "The snow-capped mountains are the homeland of animals."

The threats posed by wild animals to domestic livestock once became another headache for local herders. Local authorities have taken measures to shield the locals from potential financial loss.

A herdsman said he would receive an insurance compensation worth 1,600 yuan (about $252.23) for a yak killed by wild animals and 240 yuan (about $37.83) for each sheep.

The national park and local government will add the payment up to almost the market price that a herder will sell the livestock at.

As one of China's pilot national parks, the Qilian Mountains National Park was established in 2017 to explore coordinated ways to protect the environment while improving local standards of living.

The pilot national park covers an area of 50,200 square kilometers, including 34,400 square km in Gansu Province and 15,800 square km in neighboring Qinghai Province.

There are about 110,000 residents living in the Qinghai coverage of the Qilian Mountain National Park, of whom 7,000 are living in the park's core area, latest statistics showed.

(Cover image a video screenshot)

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