The Muli coalfield, consisting of four opencast mines on the plateau - two are operational and two are on the verge of opening - has fragmented and blocked the flow of a highland swamp water system. By 2013 the expansion of the Jiancang and Juhugeng mines resulted in the loss of 42.6 kilometres squared of pristine meadows - and their capacity for holding water - according to calculations based on satellite data.

A Greenpeace investigation has revealed the presence of a giant coal mine that has been illegally encroaching on a nature reserve at the source of the Yellow River. The sprawling mining operation, covering an area 14 times larger than the City of London, at an altitude of over 4,000m, has been documented in detail for the first time by Greenpeace East Asia. With evidence gathered on the remote region with satellite images and analysis by legal experts, Greenpeace has established that the coal development violates a number of water protection laws and local nature reserve regulations.