Local herdsmen are recruited as grassland rangers. (Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/China Daily)
Volunteers have been providing more manpower. More than 500 volunteers from various professions and different parts of the country have participated in protection and research over the years, Buzhou says.
Many nomads living along the edges of the reserve also participate in protection. In Zhiduo county, hundreds of local herdsmen have been recruited as grassland rangers to protect the part of Hoh Xil that is located in the county. More than 200 residents in Masai village, which has a population of 1,600, have become grassland rangers after a careful selection process.
"Our job is to stop poaching, and observe and record the wildlife that we see," says 52-year-old herdsman Songbao, who has been a ranger for five years.
The rangers are organized into groups, and they set out regularly on horses, yaks, motorbikes or cars, depending on geographic conditions.
Their work takes them into the wild for two to seven days at a time, depending on the distance. The rangers, who receive annual training, are paid 1,800 yuan ($260) a month.
Songbao says local residents' environmental awareness is being continually enhanced.
"Generations of us have lived on this land. We are willing to do the protection work, even if we don't get paid," he says.
Since Sanjiangyuan became a national park, the national and provincial governments have issued documents to guide the reform and integration of various local departments to streamline the management of the entire region, including Hoh Xil.
For example, in Zhiduo, several government departments engaged in environmental protection, such as the land and resources bureau and the water resources bureau, have been integrated into the same organization, supervised by Sanjiangyuan's management bureau.
The reform has been helpful because it has clarified the responsibilities of the different bureaus, says Cairen, deputy director of the new organization.
