XINING - The administration of China's largest inland saltwater lake has issued a statement to ban inappropriate activities, including taking wedding photos, in the Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve.

It is however allowed to take such photos in the scenic area of the lake, said Chen Dehui, an official with the Qinghai Lake management bureau.

According to the statement, all tourism websites, travel agencies and tour guides are banned from packaging privately-built passages and illegal scenic spots into their tourist products for business promotion.

It is strictly forbidden to set up privately-built passages and illegal scenic spots along the highway around the lake. Other activities such as sand motorcycle and sand sliding are also banned.

"Such measures are to better protect the environment of the Qinghai Lake," Chen said.

Dubbed the "most beautiful lake in China," Qinghai Lake is vital in ensuring ecological security of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The lake had been shrinking since the 1950s, but combined effects of conservation and the regional climate changes turned things around in 2005.