fred: then for two years, dr. luand her students used gps to map the sacred mountains in the ganzi district of western sichuan province. they found an average of three sacred mountains near each monastery in the district. in the united states, the protected area would be about the size of vermont and new hampshire combined. nearly one third of the land is in sacred areas. translator: who will protect the environment in the west and in china? it is government responsibilities. but the betans do't thinof it that way. if you think of it that way, you are not buddhist. you are the protector. no matter if you are a newborn or 80 years old, you are all protector. you have responsibilities. all lives should be protected. fred: in some districts, local governments are recognizing the sacred mountains, and some are en hiring tibetans to take care of the national nature reserves. translator: the cultural values of buddhism are very comforting to the scholars of conservation. i felt at last we found a way, and i began to gain n

dr. lu zhi is a conservation biologist at peking university.she's been working with tibetans in this area for many years. translator: during the 1990s, when i went to the tibetan area for the first time, i saw something that r really surprised me. ththere was a lot of loggiging going g on, but in some areaeas, the wild aninimals were not afraid of people. and there were very old trees, 600 or 700 y years old. the ancient forest wasas preserved. i asked the locacal people how is this popossible? people said this i is our sacred mountain. this was a big shock to me. just the concept of sacred mountain was good enough to preserve the resources. it's more powerful than the law or the preaching of scientists. totoday the systemem is still functioning. in the core area, nothing should be touched. then in a broader area, killing is notot allowed. no living bebeings should be haharmed. we did a survey on birds, and we discovered that wherever the belief in sacred mountains is strong, there is greater bibiodiversity. so this shows scscientifically ththe

fred: then for two years, dr. luand her students used gps to map the sacred mountains in the ganzi district of western sichuan province. they found an average of three sacred mountains near each monastery in the district. in the united states, the protected area would be about the size of vermont and new hampshire combined. nearly one third of the land is in sacred areas. translator: who will protect the environment in the west and in china? it is government responsibilities. but the tibetans do't think of it that way. if you think of it that way, you are not buddhist. you are the protector. no matter if you are a newborn or 80 years old, you are all protector. you have responsibilities. all lives should be protected. fred: in some districts, local governments are recognizing the sacred mountains, and some are even hiring tibetans to take care of the national nature reserves. translator: the cultural values of buddhism are very comforting to the scholars of conservation. i felt at last we found a way, and i began to

dr. chahao know that.t. they're plplanning the n next lu mileto a attra chinana'slite. a business worth billions. dr.hao: ththe bei schi s schu diststrict is righght in the me of t the high tech p parshenzh. in order to further develop it, we need well-educated people, who are looking g for a betttr living s situation. reporter: : that means t the deh ofof small busininesses in the . china's s big goal of f leadine wod ececonomdoesn'n't ke the liveves of the little people io accoununt. thosose who don't t make the t lose theheir livihooood anhave to go. mr. chenen: shenzhen o only ws people whoho are useful l to e hihigh-tech indudustry. opople not invnvolved in high-th mr. chenen: shenzhen o only ws peopare bebeing chased o out.e reporter: 40 years agogo, shenzh was still l a fishing totown h 30,000 inhabititants. now the trtropolis, withth a population of more than 12 llllion, sbolilizes ina'ss rapid growth. shenenzhen is known n as the sin valley of asia, because chinee te giaiants ve theheir rapid growth. headquarrs here.for thlikes, shenenzhen is known n as the sin valere'll bno more om.e chinee

dr. barbero: thank you. good night. brent: now to china, where campaigners are hoping to secure the release of a photographer, famed for his work covering issues that china's government-controlling press prefers to avoid. lung had been missing for more than a month, but chinese authorities have now confirmed that he was arrested in the in the xinjiang region, where there has been a massive crackdown of the region's muslim population. stefanie: these photos show the tragic face of china, images that tell the recent history of the most populated country on earth and the high price it has paid for its rapid industrialization. decades-long environmental damage and the careless poisoning of its own people. ♪ lu guang is the man who captured these picturures. lu: : [speaking foreign languag] translator: if they make a mistake, i have to report on it. they tried to prevent me from filming. i have often been caught taking photos. i would use various tactics to get t away. stefanie: but in november, lu guang's luck ran out. he was traveling in the xinjiang province, where a vast number of muslims and other minorities are being held in reeducation camps, an area where press are not allowed. here, he was arrested. w