BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council Information Office issued a white paper about ecological progress on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau on Wednesday.

Hailed as the "roof of the world," the "third pole" and the "water tower of Asia," the Plateau is a natural habitat for rare animals and a gene pool of plateau life.

It is a key eco-safety barrier in China and Asia, and a focus of China's drive to promote ecological progress.