On June 1 this year, the Law of the People's Republic of China on wetland protection came into effect. This is the first law on the mainland to specifically protect wetlands.
From living by water and grass to establishing cities along rivers and lakes, human beings have always been inseparable from the nourishment of wetlands.
So, do you know what wetland development and conservation has been like in history? How does it relate to the hearts and minds of Chinese? Living in Shanghai, a "city on the beach", how can we accompany the wetlands?
During the reign of Emperor Shun, China had wetland protection
Wetlands, i.e. moist lands. The ancients often called it a swamp, but the actual scope is very broad, including rivers, lakes, streams, tidal flats, rice fields, coastal shoals, etc.
As the system with the largest primary productivity on the earth, wetlands are extremely rich in biological resources, which is both a paradise for living things and a cradle for human civilization.
After the Neolithic Age, humans had the habit of settling in river basins. About 7,000 years ago, humans began to cultivate rice in wetlands and gradually accumulated knowledge of wetlands.
By about 4,000 years ago, the development and utilization of wetland biological resources by the ancestors of Guangfulin were quite mature. They use wetland plants not only as food, medicinal, and feed, but also as materials for construction and everyday items.
It is speculated that the ancestors of Guangfulin also carried out wetland development activities such as wetland agriculture, aquatic fishing and early aquaculture, water transportation, and construction of water conservancy facilities, mainly based on rice cultivation.
In order to maintain the sustainable use of wetlands, China also has a long history of wetland management and protection.
During the reign of Emperor Shun, the earliest "environmental protection department" appeared in China, in which there were officials who specialized in protecting and treating mountains, forests and rivers called "Yu Guan". In the pre-Qin Dynasty, it was divided into two kinds of positions, Yu and Heng, and by the Zhou Dynasty, "Ze Yu" and "Chuan Heng" became specialized official positions for the management of Sichuan Ze and aquatic animals.
During the Xia Shang Zhou period, Xia Yu issued a ban on "In the summer of March, Chuanze did not enter the net, in order to become the length of a turtle." "Limit fishing in summer. The "Field Law" formulated by the Qin Dynasty included the protection of various biological resources in the hills, land, and water, and also explicitly stipulated that people could not block the river.
Later, measures for the management and protection of natural ecosystems such as wetlands were further clarified in the Tang Dynasty's "Tang Laws And Discussions" and the Ming Dynasty's "Ming Shi Gongguan Zhi".
However, with the growth of human activities and population, the demand for arable land has increased, and the wetland area in China has been shrinking, which has also brought about a crisis of species survival.
Several Yangtze crocodiles are resting within the nature reserve.
Taking the Jianghan-Yunmeng Wetland as an example, during the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, the Yunmeng Wetland was the royal hunting area of the Chu State. At that time, Yun Mengze was very rich in biodiversity. "Rhinoceros elk full of it." "Fish turtle shrew, for the world rich." Typical wetland animals such as elephants, rhinos, elk and shrews (Yangtze crocodiles) can be found everywhere.
But later, people drained the swamps and obtained arable land by blocking the openings of the caves and building dry embankments. After the 13th century, the rise of land reclamation around the lake, the appearance of embankment fields, elephants, rhinos, elk and other animals disappeared one after another. By the second half of the 17th century, arable land had intensified, the habitat of waterfowl was shrinking, and many of the former dominant waterfowl were gradually extinct.
Among the Chinese characters, the number of water-bearing parts is the largest
In China, wetlands have rich cultural connotations in addition to important ecological values.
The "Han" of the Chinese character itself is the name of the river (Han Shui), and among the 201 radicals of the Chinese characters, the top three radicals containing the number of words are the Water Department, with 1067 characters (including traditional characters), and there are about 872 Chinese characters related to wetlands. In addition to water, wetlands also have plants that live on water. Along with this is the fact that "grass" and "wood" make up many other Chinese characters.
In the Book of Verses, "Yu Yi Cai? Yu Numa Yu Yu Lan" ("Zhao Nan Cai Xuan") "Yu Yi Cai Apple? Nanjian Zhibin" ("Zhao Nan Cai Li") "Mian Mian Ge Xue, in the Hu of the River" ("Wang Feng Ge Xue") "Guan Guan Ju Dove, in the River Continent" ("Zhou Nan Guan Ju") "The mountain has FuSu, the mountain has Lotus" and other verses "Swamp, Lan, Bin, River, Hu, Zhou" and other verses refer to wetlands. Wetlands and the vegetation along the edges of wetlands have become choices for conveyance.
In the Chu Ci, there are many depictions of yerba buena plants that live on water. In "Lady Xiang", there is "Sunbi Xi Zi Altar, Sowing Fang Pepper Xi Chengtang; Gui Dong Xi Lan Qiao, Xin Yi Lin Xi Pharmacy"; When depicting the Shaosi Order, there is a "lotus belt, and the flowers come and go", showing the original landscape of the wetland and the resulting cultural customs.
During the Tang Dynasty, literary works related to wetland imagery emerged in an endless stream. Dongting Lake has Meng Haoran "August Lake level, han virtual mixed too clear"; Poyang Lake has Wang Bo's "Sunset and Lone Bird Fly Together, Autumn Water Is Long Sky Color"; For the scenery of the surrounding wetlands, there are also Wei Yingwu's "Single Pity on the Grass stream" and Yang Wanli's "Little Lotus Shows Sharp Corners" and so on.
In addition, the image that accompanies the wetland has gradually taken on a deep connotation. The circulation of "Canglang Song" has made the image of "Fisher Father" a representative of openness, elegance, elegance and independence. Zhou Dunyi's "The Saying of Loving Lotuses" gives lotus flowers that grow in wetlands a gentleman's endowment.
"One side of the water and soil to support the other side of the people", the core element of the wetland "water" has also become the starting point for Chinese to think about the heavens and the earth and humanity, through constantly pondering the quality and characteristics of water, Chinese philosophers put forward the concept of "good as water" and "knowers enjoy water" and so on. After this, the image of water is repeatedly summoned and becomes an important imprint on the depths of Chinese soul.
In Shanghai, how to be adjacent to wetlands
Shanghai is a wetland city, and the total wetland area is 55.54% of the land area, which is nearly 9 times higher than the national wetland rate.
In the view of Chen Xuechu, a professor at the School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of East China Normal University, Shanghai's rich wetland resources provide people with excellent opportunities to appreciate wetlands, observe wetlands, and explore wetlands, while the following three types of wetland landscapes have more distinct regional characteristics:
The first is the Linze Wetland represented by Qingxi Country Park and formed by pond fir; The second is the vegetation belt of Sea Triangle grass, which is more common in the middle and low tide beaches represented by Chongming East Beach; The third is the more common polder in Jiangnan water towns that retain the cultural attributes of farming civilization.
Metasequoia trees in Qingxi Country Park.
Chen Xuechu believes: "Unlike visiting parks, wetland landscapes tend to retain traces of the natural growth of animals and plants, have a more wilderness temperament, and need a pair of eyes that are good at observation. ”
Therefore, admiring the wetland can start by observing the flora and fauna in the wetland.
"Drones, SLR cameras, binoculars, etc. can be used to understand the wetland landscape and flora and fauna in a more detailed and comprehensive way." Chen Xuechu told reporters that in most wetlands, gulls, plovers, geese and ducks are relatively easy to observe birds. "It should be reminded that I hope that everyone can uphold the principle of 'not disturbing' when observing animals and plants."
Migratory birds inhabit the Dongtan Bird National Nature Reserve in Chongming, Shanghai.
At present, some wetlands also disseminate wetland knowledge to the public through video and live broadcast. In the popular science video of the Jinshan Parrot Island Wetland, you can see the "Lingbo Fairy" pheasant, and the Aurora Jawl known as the "Giant Panda among Birds".
In fact, there are also many treasures hidden in the small micro-wetlands around us. "Some children observed birds such as bald-headed grebes, squids, grey magpies, and brown-backed burrows near the riverfront green space in their communities." Chen Xuechu feels that this is the best embodiment of being a neighbor with the wetland.
"Giant panda among birds" Aurora jay
Of course, the guidance and assistance of professional teams are also indispensable. Taking the frog and insect exploration activities of the public welfare team of East China Normal University "Green Cube" as an example, for the general enthusiasts, the observation of these two types of wetland animals at night is more difficult, but under the leadership of experts, they can usually be found in different habitats, and the lamp temptation can obtain a better observation perspective and gain an in-depth understanding of the survival wisdom of the wetland.
In addition, reading can also help people better appreciate the beauty of wetlands, "you can look at "Under the Sea Breeze", "Low-pitched Wilderness" and "Shaxiang Yearbook", understanding the beauty of wetlands requires us to break some stereotypes, starting with understanding nature, and starting with wetlands as friends and neighbors. Chen Xuechu said.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Gong Danyun
Source: Author: Xiao Yawen