With the opening of the Qinghai-Lhasa railway line through the Tibetan Plateau, and the increased number of travelers who will visit the area as a result of it, WWF and TRAFFIC are calling for conservation measures to protect the world's largest and highest plateau.

Billed as the highest railway in the world, the Qinghai-Tibet line will run over 1000 kilometers from central China to the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. Environmental groups, including WWF, are concerned that the railway will threaten fragile ecosystems.

With an average elevation of 4000 meters and covering an area of 2.5 million square kilometers, the Tibetan Plateau shelters a wide array of unique species, including the Tibetan antelope, Tibetan gazelle, wild yak, blue sheep, snow leopard, brown bear, Bengal tiger and black-necked crane. The plateau is also the source of almost all of Asia's major rivers, including the Yellow, Yangtze, Mekong and Indus.

"Because of its high elevation, the ecosystem here is extremely fragile," said Dawa Tsering, Head of WWF China's Program Office in Lhasa.

"Once damaged, it is extremely difficult to reverse. Integrating the needs of local development with conserving Tibet's biodiversity is in need of urgent attention."

WWF and TRAFFIC plan on distributing brochures to train passengers and visitors to the region (in English and Chinese), asking them to refrain from buying products made from such endangered species as tigers and Tibetan antelopes.

"The sale of souvenirs and other products made from endangered species is growing due to tourist consumption, and is increasing pressure on local biodiversity," Tsering added.

"Tourists can make a difference simply by not purchasing these products."

In 1980, visitors to the Tibetan Plateau numbered 1059, of which 95% came from abroad. However, the past few years have seen a surging increase of tourists, numbering 140,000 in 2002 and 1.22 million in 2004. This represents an increase of over 1000 times the 1980 level. At present, 92% are domestic tourists.

"International and local laws have guaranteed that killing wild tigers and other protected species for their parts isn't legal anywhere in the world," added Dr Xu Hongfa from TRAFFIC's China Programme.