(WU GUANGYU)

The government will spend 1 billion yuan ($161 million) in 2013 to protect Sanjiangyuan, a region that serves as the source of China's three biggest rivers—the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. Pictured is Eling Lake, source of the Yellow River.

The money will be spent on afforestation, wetlands protection and the recovery of degraded grassland. 2013 will mark the final year of a nine-year ecological improvement program.

The region's ecology has significantly deteriorated in recent years due to global warming and excessive herding, leading the government to initiate the 7.5-billion-yuan ($1.21 billion) program in 2005.