XINING, sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- A ecology-preservig project on the Nature Reserve of Three-River Headwaters kicked off Tuesday in northwest China's Qinghai Province, which will cost 75 billion yuan (924.8 million USD ) to save the reserve, known as "Asia's water tower".

    "This conservation project is one of the key projects in developing China's western regions. It is also the largest and most heavily-invested one in China," said Song Xiuyan, governor of Qinghai Province at the start-up ceremony.

    According to a senior official of the provincial government, great efforts will be paid to better the ecology and improve the infrastructure concerning farmers and herdsmen's life and production.

    He said, the government will take a series of measures to curb the environmental degradation in the nature reserve, such as returning some of the grazingland to grassland, water and soil conservation, ecological migration and exterminating rats and pests. The ecology is expected to be under control by 2010.

    The Three-River Headwaters, located in the hinterland of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is the source of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. Covering 363,000 square kilometers, it is the largest swamp with the highest altitude in the world.

    About 60 billion cubic meters of water flows from the headwaters to the lower reaches annually, which exerts great influence on China's and Asia's climate and is thus given the name "Asia's water tower".

    But in recent years, the ecology in the Three-River Headwaters area has been deteriorated. Madoi County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Golog, Qinghai Province, where the Yellow River stems, used to have 4,077 lakes, 2,800 of which are now dried up.

    In addition to water shrinkage, the decrease in glacier and wildlife also harasses the area. The population of Tibetan antelope has dropped from 100,000 to 50,000. Snow leopards almost come to the verge of extinction.

    Bandog, a herdsman living in Golog, said in an excited voice, "We have been living here for generations. In the elders' memory, the headwaters area used to be a rich land where people lived a happy and comfortable life. But in our generation, things take a turn to degradation. The increasing population, the damage caused by rats, the drought and desert all have eaten into the grassland."

    The reducing grassland leads to a sharp cut in the output of livestock husbandry and therefore the herdsmen have to strive hard for livelihood. "We are so happy to see the conservation project start in this nature reserve and now we live in hope again," Bandog added.

    Vice-premier Zeng Peiyan, who also attended the start-up ceremony, said despite of the looming difficulties, we should step up efforts to bring back the original face of "Asia's tower". Enditem