It is understood that the surface of Qinghai Lake in northwest China's Qinghai Province has mainly frozen over. During the 2018 winter patrol of the lake, a total of 8,590 wintering waterfowl were recorded. The highly endangered Przewalski's gazelle have entered the mating period.

Qinghai Lake is located at the intersection of two international waterfowl migration routes: the East Asia-Australia route and the Central Asia-India route. It is an important rest point for international migrating birds, and there are more than 200,000 waterfowl that migrate here each year.

The current habitat of the Przewalski's gazelle is concentrated only around Qinghai Lake. The species is one of China's "highly endangered wildlife" and is also included in the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). According to data, the current population of Przewalski's gazelles is 2,793.

The patrol noted that the Przewalski's gazelles are currently in their mating period. "After investigations, observations, and visits, we found that the survival status and habitat of the Przewalski's gazelles are good, and there are no danger factors," said He Yubang, director of the Administration Bureau of the Qinghai Lake National Nature Conservation.

Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Qinghai Lake is China's largest inland saltwater lake. It is an important water body that maintains the ecological security of the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It not only blocks the spread of desertification in the west, but is also the most important climate regulator in the region.

Editor: Tommy Tan.