As one of the most ecologically sensitive region on the earth, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has a unique and vulnerable environment, which is readily affected by global climate change and socio-economic activity. The terrestrial ecosystem of the region is complex. There are 2,308 species of herbaceous plants. Grassland vegetation fixes a large amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, and the frozen earth has the potential to give off greenhouse gas as a result of its sensitivity to heat. In the past decades the grassland has experienced widespread degradation due to overgrazing, soil erosion, increasing rat population, and climate change. There are numerous national red list mammal species and many bird species in the region. The degradation of meadows threatens these species.
Permafrost in the region is now clearly undergoing a warming trend. The average annual air temperature has risen by 0.4℃ since the 1970s, and the average soil temperature has risen by 0.5℃. The thickness of permafrost has been reduced by 5 m. Global warming may result in a series of cascading effects on terrestrial ecosystem processes in the permafrost region. These responses are critical to cold region ecosystems. Increasing evaporation has caused shrinkage of swampland and lakes.
Resources development in the region also impacts upon the ecology. Overgrazing, harvest of herbaceous medicine, mineral exploitation and water diversion impair the terrestrial and aquatic ecology. The strategic government project that aims to solve water shortage problems in the Yellow River basin will divert water from the Tongtian, Yalong, and Dadu Rivers into the upper Yellow River. Integrated management is essential for sustainable development of the Plateau to reconcile ecological protection with sustainable use of land and water resources.
