Zhao Yajie (right) and her teammates conduct research on vegetation at the reserve. WANG LIDONG/FOR CHINA DAILY

A large expanse of Spartina alterniflora was eliminated last year, she added.

Such efforts have resulted in more than 18,800 hectares of the wetlands being restored since 2017, according to the nature reserve.

To advance ecological conservation and high-quality development at the mouth of the river, local governments are working on building a Yellow River estuary national park, which will cover 2,152 square kilometers of marine area and 1,371 sq km of land, according to the reserve.

The national park will be the first in the country to boast land and marine areas.

The outline for the Yellow River Basin's protection and development through 2030 calls for further efforts to be made to restore key wetlands on the upper reaches of the Basin, such as those in Gannan.

Wang, from the management and protection center station, said authorities have also taken steps to better protect the wetlands in Maqu, which play a crucial role in conserving water for the Yellow River.

Maqu, located in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at an average altitude of 3,600 meters, is where the Yellow River makes its first curve. The wetlands are dubbed the river's "water pool".

For the past five years, the central government and the authorities in Gansu have launched 70 projects to restore the wetlands and monitor their environment.

Wang said the increasing number of birds breeding at the Maqu wetlands shows that the ecological systems there are improving.