The construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has not had a
negative impact on the Tibetan antelopes living in the area, a
senior environment protection official has said.
They have adapted well and accepted the specially built passage
for their seasonal migration to their mating grounds, he said.
Zhu Xingxiang, who heads the department of environmental impact
assessment management under the State Environmental Protection
Administration of China (SEPA), gave a positive review of the rail
project with regard to environmental protection during an online
interview with Xinhuanet on Friday.
Zhu said his department's assessment of the so-called "Road to
Heaven" had three major concerns: The wild animals, especially the
migrating antelope; the preservation of the ecosystem; and
pollution control. He was speaking just days after the first
anniversary of the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
His comments were supported by the results of a recent survey
conducted by a group of experts led by SEPA - China's environment
watchdog - that said 96 percent of the Tibetans polled were
satisfied with the environmental protection efforts made during the
railway's construction, especially the antelope migration
issue.
"The antelopes used the new pass to migrate back and forth in
May and July," Zhu said.
The positive results came after a yearlong survey was conducted
by environmental protection agencies, independent experts and
volunteers.
The SEPA even sent a special team to oversee the construction of
the "antelope pass", Zhu said.
"We were determined not to rely on hindsight to see the
long-term effects on the environment and wildlife," Zhu said.
From the very first day of the project, professional inspectors
were deployed at the site to monitor such issues, he said.
To protect the area's fragile ecosystem, much of the turf was
lifted while construction work was under way and replaced once the
project was completed.
Since its inauguration, the railway has transported 1.5 million
people into Tibet, nearly half of its total tourist arrivals. The
regional tourism administration was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as
saying Tibet will receive more than 3 million tourists this
year.
A popular Tibetan saying goes, "while the rail rattles, the
money floods in". And it seems the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has not
only linked the "roof of the world" to the outside world, but also
local people with long-anticipated prosperity.
Making the most of the tourism boom, several Tibetans are making
a new living working on construction sites, running small hotels
and driving cabs. Some are earning as much as 2,000 yuan a
month.
But the flocks of tourists also bring challenges, Zhu said.
The local tourism administration must be prepared to tackle the
possible negative impacts on the ecosystem, he said.
(China Daily July 7, 2007)