Tibet ecology declines

2005-12-27 Beijing Time,Source:Xinhua News

THE Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, dubbed as the "Roof of the World" is deteriorating environmentally as a result of geological movement, according to a recent official survey. The China Geological Survey Bureau recently released its milestone geological survey on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, saying the environment is getting worse as a result of geological shifts. Geologists also cite drought in lakes, shrinking of glaciers and decrease of grassland as major problems threatening the plateau. The desert on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has expanded to 0.5 million square kilometers with more lakes dried up, now representing about 19.5 percent of the total area. In addition, from the 1970s to 2002, the grasslands decreased by 24.3 percent, while the glacial area also shrank by 147.36 square kilometers each year, said the geologists. The plateau is the cradle of the three main Chinese rivers, the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang. Most of China's civilization emerged in the Yangtze and Yellow river valleys.