The nature protection area in river sources (the Changjiang River, Huanghe River and Lancang River) is situated in the south of Qinghai. It almost covers the whole South Qinghai Plateau. Its geographical coordinates: 89024'–10°23'E, 31°39'–36?16’N. The area includes both Yushu and Guoluo prefectures, the parts of Hainan and Huangnan Haixi prefectures, and Tanggulashan township of Golmud amounting to 17 counties with a population of 0.56 mainly composed of Tibetan. In the area, the great modern glaciers grow over snow line of grand mountains. The Changjiang River, the Huanghe River and the Lancang River rise from here. It is an important source of rivers in China even in Asia. 25 percent of the Changjiang River, 49 percent of Huanghe River and15 percent of Lancang River come from the area---Chinese Water Tower, so called.

Owing to the distinctive natural geological condition, the area is very rich in biological kinds. By primary statistics, there are nearly 1000 kinds of higher plants, including more than 70 kinds of herbages, over 80 kinds of arbors and bush, 147 kinds of birds, 76 kinds of wild beasts, 48 kinds of amphibians and fishes, and nearly 10,000 kinds of insects and bacterias. It is an ideal base for the research of biological heredity gene on the cold plateau. Because the natural environment in the area plays great role in our country and in Asia, the state government pays great attention to it. In August, 2000, the state established the Natural Protection Area in the river sources, based on the large-scaled prospection in the area. The area covers 363,000 square kilometers. The task of the protection area is to protect the natural environment dominated by water and natural resources so as to reserve the primeval views on the world’s Third Polar.

The area is the largest nature protection area in our country. In 2000, the Three Rivers Nature Protection Area monument autographed by Chairman Jian Zemin was set up on the bank of Tongtian River nearby Jiegu town, with a base of 363 square meters, which symbolized the protection area of 363,000 square kilometers. The height of the base is 4.2 meters, symbolizing the elevator of the area(4200 meters above the sea). The body of the monument is piled with 56 pieces of granite stones symbolizing 56 nationalities.