Fines of up to 10 thousand yuan and a ban on construction: Chinese authorities have adopted a law on the protection of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The Chinese authorities adopted a new law on environmental protection of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau at the second session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the 14th convocation.

"The plateau is an important shield for China's environmental safety. Therefore, the promulgation of the law is of great importance," said Yuan Jie, head of the Administrative Law Section of the Legislative Affairs Commission under the NPC Standing Committee.
According to the law, it is prohibited to extract sand and conduct mining activities in the highlands that do not meet the requirements for the protection of river sources in nature reserves.
It will also be impossible to conduct production and construction activities on the territory of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, which can cause soil erosion.
In addition, the law prohibits the construction of new mini-hydroelectric power plants.
There are also points in the new law that relate to travelers. So, if vacationers leave garbage on the territory of the highlands, they will have to pay a fine, the amount of which can reach up to 10 thousand yuan.
The new law will be especially relevant in connection with the May holidays, said Lhapa Tsering, an employee of the administration of the Komolangma National Nature Reserve.
"As the May Day holidays approach, the number of tourists visiting Mount Komolangma is increasing. I believe that the law will raise public awareness about environmental protection," he said.
It should be noted that the law on environmental protection of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is an addition to the legislative acts for special regions of the country adopted after the laws "On the protection of the Yangtze River", "On the Protection of the Yellow River" and "On the Protection of Chernozems".
Recall that the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau with an area of about 2.58 million square kilometers covers six provincial regions in western China. It is the source of several major Asian rivers, such as the Yangtze, Yellow River and Mekong, which together feed about 3 billion people.
The Law on environmental protection of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau will come into force on September 1, 2023.