▲Shinjeju Biodiversity Science Museum
When the long-lost "giant panda among birds" Aurora jawl, once again appeared in groups in the Liuhe Dragon Robe Yangtze River Wetland;
▲The Aurora Bird in longpao Yangtze River Wetland Park
When tens of thousands of flower-faced ducks change rapidly like sand painting performances, their postures dance in the Yangtze River Xinjizhou National Wetland Park;
When the "Smiling Angel" porpoise helps the elderly and children swim along the Yangtze River at Zhongshan Wharf...
In recent years, Nanjing has carried out a series of wetland protection measures around the construction of ecological civilization and the protection of the Yangtze River, which has the best footnote.
2 February 2022 is the 26th World Wetlands Day, and this year's theme is "Cherishing Wetlands, Harmonious Coexistence between Man and Nature". Because of its important value to the environment on which human beings depend and biodiversity, the protection of wetlands has become a global consensus.
On the mainland, wetland protection and restoration has been vigorously promoted for many years, and recently it has increased its weight again in the form of legislation, and the first wetland protection law will be implemented from June 1 this year. This is the first time that the mainland has specifically enacted legislation on wetland protection, marking that wetland protection and restoration have been guaranteed by the rule of law since then.
The 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands, one of the most influential multilateral environmental conventions today, will also be in China for the first time, to be held in Wuhan, Hubei Province, from November 21 to 29, 2022.
Wetland protection is already a "big move" of top-down and three-dimensional advancement on the mainland. Nanjing, which lives across the river and runs across rivers and lakes, depicts the ecological picture of harmonious coexistence between man and nature through wetland protection and restoration.
850 hectares of new protected wetlands were added
70.2% conservation rate of natural wetlands
Wetlands are known as the "kidneys of the earth", together with forests and oceans, known as the world's three major ecosystems, with important ecological service functions such as conserving water sources, purifying water quality, regulating floods, regulating climate and maintaining biodiversity. Because of its powerful function, the wetland also has other nicknames such as "green sponge", "species gene bank", "bird paradise" and "natural air conditioning". However, due to water pollution, invasion of alien species, improper exploitation of resources and other behaviors, wetlands are disappearing and degrading, and the situation of wetland protection is extremely grim.
Nanjing, as the only city in Jiangsu Province that lives across the river and embraces the development of the river, sits on the 197-kilometer shoreline of the main stream of the Yangtze River, and the total wetland resources in the city are 97,300 hectares, accounting for about 14.8% of the urban area. There are many types of wetlands, including natural wetlands such as lakes and rivers, as well as artificial wetlands such as reservoirs and ponds. In order to make the rich wetland resources moisturize and benefit Nanjing, in recent years, the protection of wetlands in our city has been continuously expanding. According to reports, at present, the city has built 9 wetland parks, namely Xinjizhou National Wetland Park and Baguazhou, Gucheng Lake, Green Water Bay, Shangqinhuai, Dongping Lake, Chishan Lake, Longpao, Shiushu Lake 8 provincial wetland parks, protecting the most typical wetland resources in Nanjing.
Located along the Yangtze River, the Longtan Yangtze River Dachuanzi Wetland in Qixia District is a "new member" of wetland protection in our city. With an area of 616 hectares of wetlands, Qixia District has been building a system of boundary markers, pillars and signage for this area since 2019. The establishment of boundary pillars demarcates the boundaries of the protected area, and various types of signs show the relevant systems and scientific knowledge of wetlands. It also relies on the embankment road along the coast and some tidal flats to form a patrol line with a total length of about 6.14 kilometers.
According to the background survey of resources implemented in the Longtan Yangtze River Dahuazi Wetland, there are 366 species of vascular plants in 78 families, 219 genera and 142 species of wild vertebrates, belonging to 26 orders, 56 families and 113 genera, which are rich in biodiversity. According to reports, after the wetland was included in the protection, a strict wetland occupancy and compensation balance mechanism was implemented here, the wetland flora and fauna and water quality protection were carried out, the riverside shoal was created, the water vegetation belt and the submerged vegetation belt were built, and the wetland restoration projects such as the reed-based water vegetation belt were reconstructed, making the Dachuanzi wetland more flexible and vibrant.
At the same time, a total of 242 hectares of wetlands in Jiangning, such as Baijia Lake, Jiulong Lake, Ximao Lake and Qinhuai New River, have also been included in the scope of protection.
In order to further rationally arrange the wetland protection work, the districts are preparing district-level wetland protection plans, and at present, the plans of Jiangning District and Liuhe District have been approved by the district government, jiangbei new area, Lishui, Gaochun and other districts are performing the approval procedures, and other districts are in the process of preparation. The wetland protection plan will provide an important basis and action plan for the city's wetland protection, restoration and rational utilization activities in the coming period.
The relevant person in charge of the Municipal Bureau of Green landscape architecture said that the city adheres to the strategic positioning of ecological priority and green development, further improves the wetland protection system, and strengthens the construction of various forms of wetland protection. In 2021, the city will add 850 hectares of protected wetlands, and the natural wetland protection rate will reach 70.2%, exceeding the task issued by the Provincial Forestry Bureau and also exceeding the expected target of 58% in 2022 set by the "Nanjing Wetland Protection Plan (2018-2030)" in advance.
Implement wetland restoration of 1936 acres
Among them, there are more than 1,500 acres of wetlands along the river
While wetlands are being protected in a "enclosure" manner, restoration projects for wetlands are also continuing.
Sanshanji in Yuhuatai District, Qiaolin Street in Pukou District, and Liuhe Longpao Street in Pukou District have carried out the restoration of Yangtze River wetlands.
Located on the east side of the Yangtze River levee in Qiaolin Street, Pukou District, a fish pond cofferdam originally used for aquaculture was opened, and after water system communication and local vegetation restoration, it provided a more suitable habitat for birds, amphibians and other animals along the river. Birds fly by in the sky from time to time, and when they are tired, they stop to rest on the wetlands. Such a harmonious ecological picture benefits from the ecological restoration project of the wetland along the river beach organized by the Municipal Green landscape bureau and the Pukou District Agriculture and Rural Bureau in 2021, and the "change of the riverbank" has been realized with green development.
According to reports, in accordance with the principle of "Yilin zelin, wet and wet" principle of the Yangtze River protection, the restoration project will withdraw and break the more than 1,000 mu of aquaculture fish ponds on the river beach, restore the terrain and vegetation of the beach island, and form a series of microhabitats such as abundant flood plains, forest swamps, herbaceous swamps, and open water surfaces, providing a rich and diverse habitat for wild animals and plants.
Since the beginning of winter, the Reeds in Liuhe Longpao Yangtze River Wetland Park have fluttered and the water body is clear, ushering in countless rare migratory birds "gathering" here, forming a unique ecological landscape. According to the "Jiangsu Nanjing Longpao Yangtze River Wetland Park Master Plan", since 2019, the Longpao Yangtze River Wetland Park has carried out three consecutive phases of river beach wetland restoration in the restoration and reconstruction area, restoring more than 3,000 mu of wetlands, creating a diverse wetland habitat, so that rare birds such as oriental white storks, white-headed cranes and black-faced spoonbills that have not been seen for many years have reappeared on the Longpao River beach, and the number of Aurora jays and finches has increased significantly.
Located in Jiangning District, Yangtze River Xinjizhou National Wetland Park is the first continent where the Yangtze River enters Jiangsu, and the first Yangtze River Beach-type National Wetland Park in mainland China. In 2020, the construction of The New Jeju Demonstration Wetland Park was included in the city's "One River and Two Banks" Upgrading Project Feature Highlight Project, with the construction of the Biodiversity Science Popularization Hall as the core, focusing on the restoration of animal and plant habitats, wetland ecological monitoring, and wet plant display, etc., to further optimize the ecological structure and function of wetlands, and fully demonstrate the characteristics of wetland resources in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the diversity of animals and plants and the achievements of wetland resource protection in the Yangtze River. According to the three-year continuous monitoring, there are currently 555 species of vascular plants, 194 species of birds, 37 species of amphibians and reptiles, 34 species of fish, 18 species of mammals, 206 species of plankton and 34 species of macrobenthics in the wetland park area. The vascular plant species increased by 57.67% compared with 2016, and the bird species more than doubled, making it a hot spot for the distribution of birds in Nanjing and surrounding areas. Xinjizhou has experienced ecological migration, restoration and governance, and ecological conservation, and has gradually been built into a demonstration wetland park that integrates protection and restoration, scientific research monitoring, publicity and education, etc., and fully demonstrates the characteristics of the yangtze River Beach wetland.
Rural small and micro wetlands are widely distributed and have a large area, which is closely related to agricultural production and farmers' lives. Jiangning Lake Shu Street Daxiang Village and Liuhe Dongwang Community water network crisscross, the local make full use of this unique wetland resources, committed to the construction of small and micro wetlands in the countryside, the implementation of water system dredging, river pond dredging, vegetation restoration and other ecological restoration measures, and the local characteristics of the peasant painting into it, to achieve production, life, ecological "three-life integration", the construction of livable, tourist-friendly, suitable for breeding composite ecological space, improve the living environment and happiness index of villagers, to help rural revitalization.
The relevant person in charge of the Municipal Bureau of Green landscape architecture said that the city's wetland restoration focuses on the ecological governance of the main stream of the Yangtze River and the main rivers and lakes, combined with the improvement of the water environment and the construction of wetland parks along the river, etc. In 2021, the city will implement wetland restoration of 1936 mu, of which more than 1500 mu of wetlands along the river, gradually enriching the types of wetlands, restoring the ecological buffer zone of rivers and lakes, enhancing the ecological function and stability of wetlands, and protecting biodiversity.
▲Goseong Lake Wetland
The clear waters and green wetlands attract 154 species of birds
Activities around wetlands are varied
The green wetland attracts a large number of birds to stop, and the white and flawless water birds sometimes hover at low altitude, sometimes stop to forage, and swim leisurely, adding a touch of a smart scene to the quiet wetlands around Nanjing.
How many birds are active in the city's important wetlands? In order to find out the current situation of wetland birds, the Municipal Bureau of Green and Landscape Architecture launched a one-year survey of wetland birds in May 2020, and finally formed the "2020 Nanjing Wetland Bird Survey Report". A total of 154 species of birds were recorded in the survey, belonging to 17 orders, 52 families and 104 genera; there were 2 endangered species, 4 vulnerable species and 5 near-threatened species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species; 3 species of birds protected by the National Grade I and 18 species of birds protected by the National Ii. Rare and endangered birds such as the Oriental White Stork, the Black-faced Spoonbill, and the White Spoonbill used to be only "passers-by" like the water of the Nanjing dragonfly, and now they are frequently found in many wetland clusters such as Longpao Xinglongzhou and Jiangning Xinjizhou, which are still wet from fishing. According to reports, the survey report provides technical support for the next step of creating and improving bird habitats and strengthening wetland ecological restoration.
The natural scenery of the wetlands where reeds fly and water birds wander has also attracted a large number of netizens to take photos. In order to let the public better understand the wetland and approach the wetland, so as to improve the public's awareness of protection, during the World Wetland Day in 2021, the city launched the first wetland photography selection activity of "Beautiful Wetland Charm Jinling", and netizens participated in the selection of the most beautiful wetland in their hearts. The event lasted for one month, received more than 200 groups of submissions, and 40 groups of works were comprehensively reviewed and approved by the selection committee for online voting, and the total number of votes was 451748 times.
Nanjing, with practical actions, is contributing Nanjing wisdom and Nanjing solutions to wetland protection.
▲White spoonbills in Shinjeju National Wetland Park
Source: Purple Mountain Observation, Nanjing Daily
Editors: Zhao Yue, Guan Xinyue
Planners: Shi Yong, Zhang Jian
Review: Chu Fangqiao, Wang Sha
Publisher: Ying Chen