Summer is the busiest season at Qinghai Lake, the largest inland saltwater lake in China.

Birds feed and nurture their young, herders drive yaks to the alpine pastures. Meanwhile, an army of naked carp, a species unique to the lake, gather to start their annual migration.

The fish swim in the lake, which lies in northwest China's Qinghai Province, at an average depth of 18 meters. But the high saline and alkaline content of the lake water inhibits their gonad development, so every year from May to August the mature naked carp head to the fresh waters of the Buha River and Shaliu River, that flow into the lake, to spawn. This forms one of the great wonders of Qinghai Lake – the migration of the naked carp.

The 'lost and found' naked carp

The naked carp has a special place in the hearts of people in Qinghai, because it once helped save countless lives. In the 1950s and 1960s, food shortages led locals to rely on the fish for survival. The large-scale development of Qinghai Lake's naked carp population began.

But in just a few decades, the "gift of the divine lake,"as the fish was known, was in danger of extinction due to overfishing and habitat loss. By the early 21st century, the number of naked carp in Qinghai Lake had fallen to less than 1 percent of the historical peak.

The local government implemented fishing bans and cracked down hard on illegal fishing and trading. Combined with artificial breeding and the improvement of the ecology of the lake, the carp population bounced back despite a low fertility rate.

Over time, the efforts have paid off. As of 2023, the total tonnage of naked carp in the lake had reached about 120,300 – about 44 times that of 2002. The fish's protection status has since been downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable."

The protection of the naked carp is just one example of the success of China's conservation efforts. From giant pandas and crested ibises to golden snub-nosed monkeys, the populations of rare species have gradually grown as the country's system of nature reserves has developed.

China is home to some of the richest biodiversity on Earth and is the only country with nearly all ecosystem types. Its natural protected areas have boosted biodiversity conservation and play a primary role in safeguarding national ecological security.

Nature reserves of various types have been established in the People's Republic of China since its founding in 1949. Protection of endangered species has been continuously strengthened, international cooperation has grown, and the network of natural protected areas is bearing fruit.

Ecological civilization was incorporated into China's integrated development plan in 2012, when Xi Jinping became China's top leader. Since then, greater changes have been seen across the country as Xi emphasized the importance of seeking harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.

"The Book of Changes (l Ching) says, 'We should learn about the changes of the season by studying natural phenomena and foster social development by studying human phenomena. Wealth arises from following the way of heaven and earth and assisting the natural order',"  Xi said at the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection on May 18, 2018.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources, by June 2024, the country had restored over 100 million mu (about 6.7 million hectares) of ecosystems that include mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts.

China's protected areas cover 18 percent of its land area and 4.1 percent of its maritime area, corresponding to 90 percent of its terrestrial ecosystem types, 85 percent of wild animal populations, 65 percent of higher plant communities and nearly 30 percent of important geological relics.

The country's nature reserves are a solid foundation for ecological environmental protection, and the "China Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2023-2030)" has clarified priority areas and actions for biodiversity conservation.

China has also shouldered its international responsibilities, participated in global environmental governance and biodiversity conservation cooperation, and been the driving force for the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, emphasizing the interdependence and common challenges faced by all countries.

(Cover via CFP, edited by CGTN's Li Yahui.)