Four Great Rivers

Southeastern Tibet’s vast “sea of forests” contains one-seventh of all the timber reserves in China. In 1997, China banned harvesting in the region and created the Four Great Rivers Nature Preserve, in order to protect the upper watersheds of four of Asia’s greatest rivers: the Yangtze, Salween, Mekong and Irrawaddy. Together, these rivers serve nine countries and 20 percent of the world’s population.

Encompassing an area the size of Washington State, Four Great Rivers is home to 800,000 people and one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. To protect such a large area, each of the region’s 26 county governments has implemented a management plan that engages locals as stewards. The new management approach is low-cost and gives locals ownership of the conservation process.

This video is presented here courtesy of Future Generations. Original footage by Qi Yun, narrated by Daniel Taylor, science editing by Robert L. Fleming, Jr. and original editing by Lito Tejada-Flores. Full version, 22-min. Video here.

Originally published on April 20, 2009

3 Responses to “Four Great Rivers”

  1. Twitted by Elainespringer Says:
    July 27th, 2010 at 5:52 pm

    [...] This post was Twitted by Elainespringer [...]

  2. Brian Says:
    November 13th, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    Minor fact check: The name of the Brahmaputra in Tibetan is not Tsangpo; tsangpo just means river. This particular tsangpo is the Yarlung Tsangpo, or Yarlung river.
    Thank you indeed for sharing this with us: CHINA GREEN

  3. tra serpal Says:
    May 10th, 2009 at 11:06 am

    Outstanding piece !Hen Hao
    I wish all the partipants good luck for future generations.
    Tra

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