The Tibetan Plateau contains the worlds third-largest store of ice. That’s why Tibetan glaciers are considered as the Third pole of our planet. But this treasure of humanity disappears quickly. During last few decades Tibetan glaciers lost hundreds of square kilometres. Temperatures are rising four times faster in Tibet than elsewhere in China. Tibetan glaciers are vital lifelines for Asian rivers. Once they vanish, water supplies in those regions will be in peril. But why Tibetan glaciers are retreating at a higher speed than in any other part of the world? The answer is shocking: they are heated by explosions for the extraction of minerals, the pyrometallurgical extraction furnaces and chemical processes. Those extractions are mostly against the Chinese law and many are illegal, like this one in the Sanjiangyuan nature reserve. This illegal mining totally destroyed the mountain Dulne Trakar in the Amnye Machen mountain range, in Golok, Quinghai province. This reserve, the worlds second-largest nature reserve, is the source of three rivers of global importance: Zachu (Mekong river), Drichu (Yangtze River) and Machu (Yellow River). Destruction of the Sanjiangyuan Area eco-system due to increased human activities in the last 40 years, posed a threat to the ecological security of Southeast Asia. For this reason, Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve was established in 2000. The PRCs law banned all uncontrolled or poorly managed mining, logging, hunting, and grazing, resulting in resettlement of Tibetan herders from the Sanjiangyuan area. About 200,000 people traditionally lived within the area that is covered by the nature reserve. So far, about 50,000 people have been relocated in the urban areas. Resettlement and the grazing ban policy have had profound implications for those being resettled. But the ecological protection of the Three-Rivers Source, of vital importance for the ecological security of the rest of Asia, has been violated for decades by illegal, uncontrolled mining in this area. Here are some shocking images of the completely destroyed mountain Dulne Trakar in the Amnye Machen mountain range, situated in Golok, Qinghai province. Here they have extracted copper and zinc. Extraction heats nearby glaciers by explosions, furnaces and highly exothermic chemical reaction of copper sulphate and zinc. All the dust is discharged directly into the rivers, poisoning the earth, vegetation, animals and even children that play in the rivers. Dulne Trakar is situated inside a protected zone of the Sanjiangyuan nature reserve. For that reason, for many years the local population have made different appeals to the local government in order to stop this illegal activity by businessmen coming from China. Despite the manifestly illegal character of this exploitation, the local population have never had a response. For this reason, they consider that the mining is supported by corrupted local chiefs. We solemnly make an appeal to stop such illegal mining in the Sanjiangyuan nature reserve, bring to account all accountable actors of this criminal activity and effectively protect Southeast Asia from this threat to its ecological security. Tibetan glaciers are the third pole of our common Earth. Three river’s sources in Sanjiangyuan nature reserve are sources of our global Water. This crime must stop now! youtu.be/sgXHk1KDscY
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 04:43:08 +0000
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