XINING - China has approved a plan to establish a national park at Qinghai Lake in Northwest China's Qinghai province, local authorities said Tuesday.

Gao Jingyu, deputy director of the protection and utilization administration in the Qinghai Lake scenic area, said that the administration will strive to complete the establishment of the Qinghai Lake National Park in 2024.

Qinghai Lake, located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is the country's largest inland saltwater lake with an area of 4,625.6 square km in 2021. It is an important ecological barrier in northern China and a key stopover site for migrant birds.

In recent years, the ecological environment has improved in the area, with biodiversity rapidly restored, according to Gao.

The lake is home to over 571,000 water birds of nearly 100 species, making it a major breeding ground for migratory birds in the country, statistics from the administration show.