BEIJING -- Lawmakers on Tuesday started deliberating a new draft law on ecological conservation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The draft law, with 64 provisions in seven chapters, was submitted to the National People's Congress Standing Committee for the first reading.

An explanatory document on the draft highlighted the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's unique and irreplaceable role in the ecological security of China and the world, as well as the problems and challenges faced by its environment such as the erosion of grasslands and threats to its biodiversity.

Identifying ecological conservation as a basic premise of the development of the plateau region, the draft makes stipulations on the protection of rivers, lakes, grasslands, forests, wetlands and other ecosystems on the plateau, and strengthens the protection of rare and endangered wildlife species and species exclusive to the region.

The draft also proposes fiscal, tax and financial support for the ecological conservation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, encouraging the participation of social funds.