"As a deputy to the National People's Congress from Sanjiangyuan, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, I can say we give top priority to environmental protection," said Wang Yuhu, commissioner of Yushu.

Sanjiangyuan, part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, is regarded as "China's water tower" since it is the waterhead of the Yangze River, the Yellow River and the Lantsang River.

It is also the largest and highest natural wetland in the country with various species of wild animals and plants.

"As Yushu lies in the headwaters of Sanjiangyuan, it is vital for the prefecture to preserve the environment," Wang said on the sidelines of the annual parliament session. 

"Yushu is rich in mineral and natural resources and yet we would rather not develop the resources in order to preserve a better environment," he emphasized.

The performance of the governments of the Yushu and Guoluo Tibetan autonomous prefectures has not been assessed in terms of the gross domestic product(GDP) since 2005. Instead they have been assessed in their performance in ecological environmental protection and social undertakings.

"However, it is not enough to only rely on the local government since Sangjiangyuan is a large area and protection needs a large amount of money," Wang noted.

With the improvement of the environment in Yushu, local herders are experiencing a change in their lifestyles - moving from grasslands to towns and cities. However, public services in urban areas can not meet the needs of the increasing population, resulting in a shortage of water supply and electricity, he pointed out.

"Now Yushu is in the best period of development after the Fifth National Conference on Work in Tibet held in January." Wang said," As a leader of Yushu, I will try my best to serve the people and the area."