The high-altitude heart of Asia's rivers
Sanjiangyuan, which translates to "Source of Three Rivers," is a vast high-altitude wilderness on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai province. The protected area, China's largest national park, covers 190,700 square kilometers—an area significantly larger than England. Its average elevation is over 4,500 meters, creating a cold and dry environment often called the "third pole."
This region contains the headwaters of three of Asia's most significant rivers: the Yangtze, the Yellow, and the Lancang (Mekong). Collectively, these rivers supply freshwater to downstream communities across the continent. The park's hydrological system is a network of alpine meadows, high-altitude wetlands, and thousands of lakes. The headwaters of the Yangtze alone contain a cluster of over 11,000 lakes. The region provides 49% of the Yellow River's water volume, 17% of the Lancang's, and 2% of the Yangtze's. In 2020, the total water outflow from the area reached 95.5 billion cubic meters, a substantial increase attributed to rising precipitation and glacier melt.
A haven for alpine biodiversity
The Sanjiangyuan area supports one of the most concentrated assemblies of high-altitude wildlife in the world. Its ecosystems provide habitats for at least 270 species of wild vertebrates. The park is a sanctuary for the elusive snow leopard (Panthera uncia), hosting what is believed to be the densest population of the species globally. Estimates suggest the number of snow leopards in the Sanjiangyuan region now exceeds 1,000 individuals.
Other large mammals roam the grasslands, including populations of Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii), which have recovered from under 20,000 in the 1990s to over 70,000. The park also protects significant numbers of wild yak (Bos mutus), Tibetan wild ass (Equus kiang), and Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata). The region's flora is dominated by alpine meadows and steppes, which are ecosystems vulnerable to changes in climate and grazing pressure. Conservation efforts focus on managing the balance between nomadic pastoralism and the needs of wild ungulates.