Qilian Mountain’s Decade of Ecological Recovery
A decade of sustained restoration efforts has transformed China’s Qilian Mountain from a site of severe environmental degradation into a thriving ecological corridor, according to a comprehensive Xinhua News Agency report published Saturday. The northern foothills of the mountain range—a critical ecological security barrier for western China—now show significant recovery in vegetation, wildlife populations, and water quality.
From Crisis to Restoration
The transformation follows a pivotal moment in 2017, when the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council issued a formal notification about severe ecological damage in the Qilian Mountain National Nature Reserve. The notification identified four major problems: illegal mining operations involving 144 mining rights, unauthorized hydropower facilities, pollution discharges by nearby enterprises, and ineffective rectification of environmental issues.
The findings triggered high-level accountability measures, including serious disciplinary actions against multiple officials and the dismissal of eight officials with primary responsibility. The crackdown marked the beginning of a systematic restoration campaign that would unfold over the following decade.
Measurable Ecological Gains
By 2025, the results of these efforts were clearly visible in the data. According to monitoring by the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, vegetation in the reserve had significantly improved compared with 2017, with areas of notable improvement accounting for 41.05 percent of the total reserve area. The vegetation index increased by 11.67 percent, and vegetation coverage rose by 10.24 percent.
All 144 mining rights within the reserve were closed and withdrawn, while 42 hydropower stations underwent classification-based treatment. Fourteen compliant stations now ensure full ecological flow discharge with online monitoring. The region also completed 5,120 square kilometers of ecological restoration, with geological environments at 322 mining sites fully restored.
Water quality has shown remarkable improvement, with all 16 surface water monitoring sections achieving excellent quality and Grade I water accounting for over 90 percent. Regional PM2.5 average concentration stands at just 19 micrograms per cubic meter—better than the provincial average.
Wildlife Recovery Signals Ecosystem Health
Perhaps the most striking indicator of ecological recovery is the return of the snow leopard, a top predator whose presence signals a complete food chain. Wang Xiaoning, deputy director of the Qilian Mountain National Park Gansu Provincial Administration, confirmed that the snow leopard population in the reserve has stabilized at 350 to 500 individuals, with overall wildlife numbers increasing by 15 to 20 percent compared with 2014.
Lang Wenrui, chairman of the Sunan Yugur Autonomous County Federation of Literary and Art Circles, has documented this recovery firsthand. “In the past, I had not photographed a single snow leopard,” he said. “But in the past three-plus years, I have photographed 12 in the Qilian Mountains.”
Ma Duifang, head of the Wildlife and Plant Management Section at the Gansu Qilian Mountain National Nature Reserve Management Center, explained the significance: “Snow leopards are top predators in the food chain. The increase in snow leopard numbers reflects a more complete food chain.”
In 2025, researchers also made a notable discovery—the endangered orchid species Neottia taibaishanensis was found in the reserve for the first time. Jing Wenmao, station chief of the Xishui Forest Ecological Research Station, noted that the species “highly depends on high-altitude shady and humid environments, with extremely strict requirements for growing conditions.”
Institutional Framework and Governance
Gansu Province has built a comprehensive governance framework to sustain these gains. The province designated 53,800 square kilometers of ecological protection red line in the Qilian Mountain area, accounting for 42.87 percent of the province’s total. A vertical management system was established through the Qilian Mountain National Park Gansu Provincial Administration, with branch offices in Zhangye and Jiuquan.
As Workers’ Daily reported, Gansu has also implemented a “sky-earth” integrated monitoring system combining satellite remote sensing, drones, ground sensors, and patrol reporting. The system has proven effective—eight batches of remote sensing monitoring since 2025 found no new human-caused damage in the reserve.
The province has also established the Qilian Mountain Forest Area Court and Procuratorate, along with an ecological damage compensation mechanism and forest chief responsibility system. An April 2026 policy document formalized the Qilian Mountain National Nature Reserve Ecological Protection Mechanism with six major sections and 20 hard measures.
Economic Transformation and Green Development
The ecological recovery has been accompanied by an economic transformation across the region. As People’s Daily reported, local communities have found ways to benefit from conservation rather than extraction.
At the Shandan Horse Farm, management has invested 236 million yuan in grassland ecological protection since 2019. “Ecological protection is the primary task,” said Qian Shuhua, the farm’s general manager. “Not only do we have strong momentum for green development, but the company’s operating profits have also significantly improved.” The farm’s riding experience program attracted 57,000 visitors in 2025, with total annual visitors exceeding 100,000.
Herdsmen in Sunan County have adopted a “borrowed grazing” model that allows livestock to graze on agricultural land during winter months, giving natural grasslands time to recover. Wu Ming, a herdsman, reported that his annual income has increased by over 40,000 yuan through this approach.
Zhangye City has become the first in Gansu to develop both forestry and grassland carbon sink projects, while Jiuquan has built China’s largest onshore wind power equipment manufacturing base. Lu Sidong, deputy mayor of Zhangye City, captured the shift in priorities: “Now, when attracting investment, the first consideration is the project’s impact on the ecology.”
A Model for Ecological Governance
The Qilian Mountain story has drawn attention at the highest levels. During his August 2019 inspection of the Shandan Horse Farm, President Xi Jinping affirmed that “Qilian Mountain ecological protection has transformed from chaos to governance, achieving remarkable results.”
As Gansu Daily documented in its 2022 investigation, the ecological protection status index for the region rose from 58.7 in 2017 to 62.75 in 2025. The Qilian Mountain National Park, covering 50,200 square kilometers across Gansu and Qinghai provinces, is now in the final stage of formal establishment as one of China’s first national park system pilots.
Looking Ahead
The decade-long transformation of the Qilian Mountain demonstrates that ecological restoration and economic development can proceed hand in hand. As Gansu continues to advance integrated conservation of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, and deserts, the region is moving from the “recovery from chaos” phase into a period of sustained ecological flourishing.
The challenge ahead lies in maintaining momentum. Water resource management, grassroots monitoring capacity, and the transition of local economies remain ongoing priorities. Yet the evidence from the past decade suggests that with sustained commitment and institutional support, even severely degraded landscapes can be restored to vibrant, functioning ecosystems.