(Photo/Xinhua)

The isolated region of the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve on Tuesday officially gained access to the Internet for the first time.

The first satellite communication station was launched on Tuesday at a protection station in the region, which will provide internet access to regions as far as one kilometer away. The internet service will help people visit websites, watch satellite television, and conduct long-distance video communications, China News Service reported.

The launch marked the end of a Hoh Xil without Internet and made it the first isolated region in China with access to the Internet. Four other protection sites plan to set up similar stations.

In a few years’ time, Hoh Xil would have full Internet access, which will facilitate patrol and inspection teams tasked with fighting poaching and trespassing. It will also make routine wildlife and environment monitoring more effective, according to Luo Yanhai, deputy head of the forestry public security bureau under the administration bureau for the natural reserve.

Hoh Xil was put on the World Heritage List as a natural site in July 2017. It is located in the northwestern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. As the world’s largest, highest, and youngest plateau, it hosts many endemic species and is home to more than 230 species of wild animals, including wild yak, wild donkey, white-lip deer, brown bear, and the endangered Tibetan antelope or “chiru,” Xinhua reported.