In 2006, the central government approved a 1.57 billion yuan ($252 million) plan to strengthen protection and management of the environment in the basin. Wetland shrinkage and the degeneration of the eco-function have been curbed, Lhundrub said.
According to figures released by the Qinghai Water Resources Survey Office, the lake's water level rose for nine consecutive years before 2014, and its surface area expanded from 4,100 sq km in 2004 - its lowest ebb - to about 4,400 sq km last year.
He Yubang, an administration researcher, said: "The ecological environment of Qinghai Lake is heading in the right direction. The water level has recovered to that of the 1980s."
The Qinghai Lake Gymnocypris Rescue Center, based in Xining, said the stock of huang fish had recovered to 45,000 metric tons by the end of last year, compared with 2,592 tons in 2002.
The number of Przewalski's gazelle, a critically endangered species native to the basin region, has risen to 1,100 from 200 at its lowest point, and a conservation area has been established on the lake's north shore.
However, the rise in the water level has also destroyed many habitats. In 2004, there were five major bird habitats, adding up to more than 400 hectares. Now, only four habitats with a combined 200 hectares are left.
The administration has adopted measures, including strengthening protection of the sandy land and building artificial islands, to ease the contradiction between the reduction of habitats and the rise in the water level.
Challenges remain
Despite the recent ecological improvements, Lhundrub admitted that the reserve still faces a number of challenges, the greatest being flaws in the legal system.
"As an organization, we don't have the power of law enforcement. Sometimes we can use nothing but persuasion against illegal acts," he said.
He suggested that an integrated platform should be established to coordinate different departments, such as ecological protection organizations, tourist authorities and local governments.
Lhundrub added it's difficult for his 18-member team to look after the entire reserve. The members are often scattered across six workstations, and they face a number of difficulties, including a lack of training and insufficient funding for the promotion of ecological protection. Moreover, few of them understand the local dialect, so they can't mix with the local residents.
Local community coordinators, drawn from different ethnic groups and backgrounds, such as herders, monks and nuns, patrol the reserve to prevent and report illegal dredging, poaching, fishing and construction projects.
"We repay them by providing assistance in the form of building roads, libraries or water points for the communities," Lhundrub said, adding that it's difficult to attract and retain professional research personnel.
"There are no professional veterinarians for wild animals, and in many cases we can only seek out a local 'barefoot' vet to treat them," he said.
Although 47 Przewalski's gazelles have been artificially bred in recent years, they haven't yet been introduced to the wild.
Since 2005, the reserve has carried out scientific cooperation with a number of institutes with research programs in the reserve, such as CAS and Tsinghua University.
"It's a good way for us to learn from the country's top scientific teams and quickly improve our research ability," Lhundrub said.
