A remote video observation system named the 'Yushu Jiangyuan Window' is playing a key role in protecting the Sanjiangyuan ecology in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. On the monitoring screen of the Yushu Prefecture Ecological Environment Bureau, real-time images from dozens of observation points are displayed alternately, and staff can easily view the ecological conditions thousands of miles away with a click of the mouse.
Since 2019, the local government has invested over 33 million yuan to build this ecological environment monitoring platform. The system has deployed 43 monitoring and observation points, covering areas such as atmospheric environment, water environment, glaciers and snow mountains, grasslands and wetlands, rivers and lakes, and rare wild animals. Yushu Prefecture, with an average altitude exceeding 4,200 meters, is mostly vast uninhabited areas with harsh climate and inconvenient transportation, making traditional manual monitoring and patrolling extremely difficult. Chen Rong, a member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Yushu Prefecture Ecological Environment Bureau, said that the 'Yushu Jiangyuan Window' enables long-distance, large-scale, all-round real-time observation, effectively compensating for the weaknesses of manual patrols, which are slow to respond, costly, and limited in coverage.
In practice, staff conduct daily remote inspections of key points and issue alarms immediately upon discovering any abnormalities. Gengsong Lacuo, a law enforcement officer of the Yushu Prefecture Ecological Environment Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Detachment, gave an example: during a routine video inspection in 2024, staff found herders digging up soil in the Yellow River source area. The clue was immediately transferred to the grassroots ecological protection station, and the site was quickly handled— the location is over 400 kilometers from the prefecture center, and by the time they could have arrived manually, the site might have been destroyed.
The platform also makes the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation more visually perceptible. System records show that in the Angsai Grand Canyon, rare wild animals such as snow leopards, leopards, and white-lipped deer frequently appear; by Longbao Lake, the number of black-necked cranes has increased to nearly 200, and tens of thousands of waterfowl inhabit and breed there annually. The species distribution module can clearly display the distribution area of a certain species, providing a basis for scientific protection.
Additionally, the 'Yushu Jiangyuan Window' updates atmospheric and water environment quality data in real time and operates synchronously with online monitoring and video surveillance of sewage outlets from wastewater treatment plants. Chen Rong pointed out that new technology has significantly improved the efficiency of unified supervision of ecological protection and pollution prevention by ecological environment departments. Through video inspections, the platform has repeatedly discovered ecological environment problem clues and transferred them for handling.
Data from the past five years show: the proportion of days with good air quality in Yushu Prefecture has reached 99.97%, the proportion of surface water assessment sections with excellent water quality has reached 100%, the water quality of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Lancang River flowing out of the province has been stable above Class II, and the annual average increase in water conservation capacity has exceeded 6%. Moreover, the system serves as a public window for ecological civilization education. In addition to receiving visitors offline, it also enables more people to take a 'cloud tour' of Sanjiangyuan through slow live broadcasts and other means.