Flocks of wild birds frolic in wetlands in Baotou. [Photo/Baotou news network]

A healthy environment is important for people's well-being. In recent years, Baotou has firmly adhered to the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and has strengthened the protection and restoration of important ecosystems such as forests, grasslands and wetlands so as to strengthen the city's economic and social development.

In the first quarter of this year, the city's air quality reached a record high. As of the end of March, it had 74 good air days, 82.2 percent of the total, an increase of 11.1 percentage points year-on-year. The comprehensive air quality index was 4.43, an improvement of 8.1 percent year-on-year.

In recent years, Baotou has implemented 741 in-depth treatment projects and completed the clean energy transformation of 103 kilns. Remote sensing monitoring sites covering major roads were built in the city, and heavily polluting vehicles were strictly regulated.

A total of 1,448,300 mu (96,553 hectares) of grasslands have been made resistant to sandstorms in Beijing and Tianjin, 184,700 mu of grassland ecological restoration projects have been carried out, and 163,000 mu of farmland has been restored to grassland in Baotou since 2013.

On April 18, some government officials, workers and volunteers in the city planted more than 2,000 trees, including spruce, dry willow, red willow, and wolfberry, in the Yellow River Wetland Park to make Baotou's spring greener.

Last year, the city's total wetland area remained at more than 1.4 million mu, and there were 237 wild birds living there, an increase of 36 species since 2011. There were 217 plant species, an increase of 84 species since 2011.