Wetland protection makes big progress in Yichang

On Oct 24, a black stork, also national first class protected animal, was caught on camera leisurely strolling and pecking in the Yuan’an Juhe National Wetland Park.

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With the coming of migration season, more birds of rare species are “visiting” Yichang. They are bowing their heads for food in wetlands or spreading their wings over lakes, making up a vivid autumn view.
 

Last week, China held its first global wetland convention conference in Wuhan, provincial capital of Hubei province, to which Yichang belongs to. During the meeting, whose theme is "Wetlands Action for People and Nature", China showed the world its achievements of wetland convention in the past 30 years.
 

Lying at the junction of the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Yichang is an ecologically sensitive area in the Yangtze River Basin. The increasing number of rare birds visiting Yichang has epitomized the city’s efforts, as well as that of China, in achieving a harmonious coexistence between human beings and the nature.
 

Yichang has a total wetland area of 82,400 hectares, including 37,300 hectares of natural wetlands. The city has eight national wetland parks, including Yidu Tianlongwan, Dangyang Qinglonghu, Yuan'an Juhe, Changyang Qingjiang, Zhijiang Jinhu, Wufeng Baixi River, Yiling Quanyitang and Zigui Jiuwanxi. Among them, Yuan'an Juhe Wetland is also the only wetland of national importance.
 

In recent years, the ecological environment protection and restoration of the Yangtze River have become a top priority for Yichang. The agricultural and commercial development of wetland is strictly controlled. Nearly 60 percent of all wetlands have been put under protection.
 

Since 2017, the city has initiated 26 wetland protection projects with accumulated central and provincial financial subsidy of 43 million yuan (US$5.93 million). About 666 hectares of wetlands have been restored; more than 3,500 hectares of areas along the Yangtze River have become green space again.  
 

Nowadays, Yuan'an Juhe National Wetland has become an important ecological corridor for migratory birds. Chinese merganser, black stork and oriental white stork are overstaying here, among them Chinese mergansers have spent winter here for seven consecutive years. Yellow-breasted buntings linger in the Juanqiaohe Wetland Park located in the urban area of Yichang City... These phenomena all show that the ecological environment of Yichang continues to improve.
 

Yuan’an Juhe National Wetland Park is applying for the status of a wetland of international importance, and Dangyang Qinglonghu National Wetland Park is applying for a wetland of national importance.
 

Ke Zhiqiang, Director of Yichang Forestry and Parks Bureau, said Yichang had established a sound wetland protection system. "For the next step, we will keep working on the wetland ecological protection and restoration, and promote the restoration of small and micro wetlands,” he said. “Also, we will move towards a sustainable utilization of wetland resources under the premise of protection to promote the green development of Yichang City based on the harmonious co-existence between human beings and nature.”

Photo by You Xiaofei.


Photo by Jiang Shanhong.

Photo by Jiang Shanhong.

Photo by Xie Hua.