In Namse township of Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Qinghai, where the Lancang River flows through, 45 snow leopards have been spotted, and the township is thus dubbed as the "hometown" of snow leopards due to the frequent sightings of the big cat species.

The township has piloted a franchise business model for tourism, training some herdsmen to serve as ecological guides to host visitors from around the world.

Forty-five percent of the franchise business revenue goes to the herdsmen, another 45 percent to the village and the remaining 10 percent to an ecological protection fund. The guides can earn some 10,000 yuan (about $1,540) a year.

Zhoima, a Tibetan woman living in Babao township of Qilian county, Qinghai, recalled that the county, which is rich in mineral resources, used to be clustered with asbestos factories.

"The factories greatly affected the herders' lives," she said. "Whenever they operated, grey dust covered the whole pasture. When the sheep were slaughtered, asbestos residue was found in their intestines."