The Basum Lake Tourist Development Company that runs the tourist spot says it employs nearly 40 people, from several villages, working as guards, cleaners, and lake cruise skippers.[Photo by Liu Xiangrui/China Daily]

Nyingchi is renowned as a natural museum of vegetation types or a gene pool of biological resources.

Earlier, many locals ignored regulations and cut down trees to make money, and 10 years ago authorities prohibited any form of deforestation.

Instead of hunting and cutting down trees, villagers now know how important it is to protect the wild animals and plants, and the local government has provided subsidies for each villager to compensate their economic losses.

"You often see wild monkeys and other animals in the villages nowadays," says Gesang.

To better protect its natural resources, the local government has carried out many ecological projects, including encouraging and organizing local residents to join forestry promotion, preventing desertification and gardening businesses.

Nyingchi has created nearly 22,000 ecological posts, such as forest rangers and forestation workers. Each of them, who are usually from poverty-ridden families, can earn about 3,000 a year from such jobs.