Ecology Before Economy

The rosy starling is a migrating bird and a protected species in China for its significant ecological, scientific and social values. In May 2018, tens of thousands of rosy starlings made home at our construction site along the Dunmazha-Nalati expressway on the National Highway 218 (G218). The company working on the site, CNPC Xinjiang Petroleum Engineering Company, suspended all their construction activities so that the birds could breed and nurture their young undisturbed. The company also spent RMB 100,000 on steel pipes and green mesh to build shelters for the birds. The wildlife protection and management office of Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang praised this move as a shining example of putting ecology before economy.