Gyaring and Ngoring lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in northwest China were recently added to the list of designated wetland reserves of international importance, known as Ramsar Wetlands.

The two lakes, 4,500 meters above sea level, are the two largest freshwater sources of the Yellow River, China's second longest. The two lake areas are characterized by high, cold meadows dotted with wetland, and used to be one of the best pastoral regions in Madoi County in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

Originating from the Bayan Har Mountain, the Yellow River runs through the Gyaring and Ngoring lakes and surges eastward "like a giant dragon" across the northern part of the country.

The two lakes play an important role in regulating water flow, purifying water quality and controlling floods, said Xu Guohai, deputy head of the Qinghai Provincial Forestry Bureau.

As part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Qinghai Province is endowed with wetlands, lakes, marshlands and glaciers, which serves as a natural biological gene bank and cradle of human civilization.

Apart from the two lakes, seven other wetlands in China were added to list of designated wetland reserves of international importance. China's Ramsar Wetland sites have thus increased to 30,covering 3.43 million hectares and making up 9.4 percent of the country's natural wetland area.

China became a contracting party of the Ramsar Convention in 1992. The Chinese State Forestry Administration (SFA) has set up a Ramsar Convention Implementing Office to take charge of promoting international cooperation in this regard.

(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2005)