No poaching cases reported in Hoh Xil Nature reserve for 13 consecutive years

(ECNS) -- No poaching cases have been reported in the Hoh Xil national nature reserve in Qinghai Province for 13 consecutive years, according to a press conference held by the local public security department on Saturday.

Hoh Xil national nature reserve is located in the western part of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture at an average altitude of 4,600 kilometers, covering an area of 45,000 square kilometers.

It is called the world's “Third Pole” because of its frigid plateau climate and anoxic conditions.

As the largest no man’s land in China, it is rich in wildlife resources and an important habitat for Tibetan antelope.

Tibetan antelope are called "soft gold" because of their fine and soft cashmere. Greedy poachers came to Hoh Xil in the 1980s to kill the antelope illegally, causing the antelope population to drop from more than 200,000 to fewer than 20,000.

But no poaching cases have been reported since 2006 due to effective acts to fight poaching in Hoh Xil over the past 20 years, with the population of Tibetan antelope increasing to over 70,000.

This species was categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as near threatened in 2016.

The Sanjiangyuan National Park was established in October 2021, which enables Hoh Xil to be further protected.