Yancheng, Jiangsu Province has 582 kilometers of coastline and 769,700 hectares of wetlands, giving birth to the largest coastal wetlands with the largest area and the best ecological protection on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean and the edge of the Asian continent. Around 3 million migratory birds rest, breed and winter here each year, making it the central node of the East Asian-Australasian migratory bird migration route. In 2019, the Chinese Yellow (Bohai) Sea Migratory Bird Habitat (Phase I) in Yancheng City was successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List. The picture shows the sunrise scene in the Tiaozi muddy wetland in Dongtai, Yancheng City. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Lei
In the Yancheng Wetland National Rare Bird Nature Reserve in Jiangsu, red-crowned cranes fly in flocks. Photo by Chen Guoyuan
There are 190,890 hectares of wetlands in Changde, Hunan Province, of which 136,800 hectares are included in the protection area, with a conservation rate of 71.66%. The picture shows the city's Chuanzi River. Photo by Chen Junjun
Recently, Chinese and foreign representatives attending the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands in Wuhan visited the exhibition of achievements in the 30th anniversary of China's implementation of the Convention. Photo by Kim Zhenqiang
Recently, a large number of wintering migratory birds flew to the West Dongting Lake Nature Reserve located in Changde, Hunan Province. As an internationally important wetland, it becomes a passageway and resting place for migratory birds every autumn and winter. The picture shows the cygnet and gray geese photographed in the wetlands of West Dongting Lake in Hunan in November. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Sihan
In 2005, Zhejiang Hangzhou Xixi National Wetland Park was opened. At that time, Xixi Wetland Reserve, with a total area of 10.08 square kilometers, was the first national wetland park in China that integrated urban wetlands, agricultural wetlands and cultural wetlands. Located in the northwest of Hangzhou, the wetland is known as the "green lung of paradise", which has ecological functions such as conserving water sources, purifying water quality, regulating floods, beautifying the environment, and regulating climate. Today's Xixi Wetland, with a total area of about 11.5 square kilometers, has become an important resource for building a livable city where man and nature live in harmony and coexist and prosper. The picture shows the staff of Xixi Wetland transporting freshly picked persimmons by boat. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi
China's achievements in wetland conservation in the past 30 years, as well as the ambitious goals and management methods of wetland protection, have formed a "Chinese sample" of wetland conservation.
From 5 to 13 November, the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands was held simultaneously in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and Geneva, Switzerland. With the theme of "Cherish Wetlands, Harmonious Coexistence between Man and Nature", the conference is committed to consolidating the consensus of all parties, promoting global cooperation in wetland conservation, and writing a new chapter of sustainable development of mankind.
The wetland protection scheme and experience with Chinese characteristics have been widely praised
Wetlands, together with forests and oceans, are the three major ecosystems of the earth, which are important natural resources and unique ecosystems, fertile soil for the conception, inheritance and development of human civilization, and precious natural heritage left by the earth to mankind.
The Convention on Wetlands, fully known as the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Especially as Waterfowl Habitat, is one of the earliest intergovernmental multilateral environmental conventions, committed to the protection and rational use of wetland ecosystems around the world, and promoting sustainable human development. This is the first time that China has hosted the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands.
"All things have their own life, and each has its own nourishment." At this conference, the Chinese wisdom of wetland protection has become a topic of general concern of all countries. Government officials, wetland conservation experts, representatives of wetland parks and nature reserves, and representatives of international organizations from all over the world gathered in Wuhan to share wetland conservation cases, summarize and listen to the successful experience of wetland conservation in China, and jointly promote the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands in the world.
Chen Peng, Secretary-General of China Green Foundation, summarized the "Oriental Wisdom of Wetland Protection" into seven aspects: natural restoration is the mainstay, supplemented by artificial means; Optimize conservation measures and strengthen management; Strengthen professional training and expand the talent team; Balance conservation and development, and promote the interaction between the "two mountains"; Relying on scientific and technological progress, the courage to pioneer and innovate; Pay attention to open cooperation and strengthen multi-party exchanges; Extensive mobilization to carry out nature education.
"Compared to other countries around the world, China has made full use of traditional oriental wisdom to explore a variety of excellent wetland management methods." Meng Xianlin, Director of the Executive Committee of the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands, said that from the unity of nature and man and the symbiosis of all things, to the adherence to the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, China has been constantly thinking, changing and exploring in practice on the road of building an ecological civilization.
Since joining the Convention on Wetlands in 1992, China has adhered to the concept of ecological civilization and green development, actively fulfilled the purposes and obligations of the Convention, and formed a wetland protection road with Chinese characteristics.
"30 years is not a short time, and we have seen the wisdom and leadership in wetland conservation in China." Musunda Mumba, Secretary-General of the Convention on Wetlands Secretariat, said that China's achievements in wetland conservation in the past 30 years, as well as the ambitious goals and wetland conservation and management methods, can be learned by other parties, including not only scientific methods, but also spatial layout schemes and legislative frameworks, promoting global cooperation and forming synergies.
"In our view, China's traditional wetland use has a large number of best practices, such as Sankey fish ponds, rice eel co-cropping and other traditional production and lifestyles, which are typical examples of long-term access to products in a healthy ecosystem, and simple sustainable economic models." Lu Lunyan, Chief Representative of WWF Beijing Office, said that the oriental wisdom of wetland conservation today not only comes from traditional wetland utilization, but also is based on new practices and new thinking in current global governance, economic level, social status and technological innovation.
Meng Xianlin believes that the wisdom of China's wetland protection is not only reflected in the state's efforts to strengthen the rule of law and strategic planning, but also relies on scientific and technological progress, key technology research, and standard and norm construction to improve the monitoring capacity of wetlands and the scientific and technological support capacity in the field of protection and restoration. We will always adhere to openness, strengthen international cooperation and exchanges, and make full use of the strength of international organizations.
The Wetland Protection Law has laid a solid foundation for wetland protection in China
The Wetland Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, which came into effect on June 1 this year, clearly states: "People's governments at or above the county level shall adhere to the principle of giving priority to natural restoration and combining natural restoration and artificial restoration, strengthen wetland restoration work, restore wetland area, and improve the quality of wetland ecosystems." ”
Known as the "Coast Guard", mangroves are woody plant communities that grow in the intertidal zone of tropical and subtropical coasts, playing a role in maintaining biodiversity, preventing wind and waves, purifying seawater, and storing carbon and sequestering carbon.
Liao Baowen, director of the Mangrove Research Center of the Institute of Tropical Forestry of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, said that documents such as the "Wetland Protection and Restoration System Plan" and "Mangrove Ecological Restoration Technical Guide" issued by China in recent years strongly advocate the concept of "protection first, natural restoration first, and artificial restoration combined with natural restoration". After long-term practice, China has established a relatively complete set of mangrove restoration technology standard system.
"In the past, the creation and restoration of mangroves focused solely on the vegetation itself, but now more attention is paid to the overall functional restoration of mangrove ecosystems." Liao Baowen introduced that due to the influence of tidal effects, mangroves are the most open among all natural ecosystems. Overemphasis on mangrove vegetation can lead to ecological risks in restoration projects; Overemphasis on artificial restoration can also compress the space for natural restoration of mangroves. There are 37 species of mangrove plants in China, and local species should be selected as much as possible during the restoration process to reduce the cultivation of exotic species.
"In addition to planting trees, we should also leave a little tidal gully, light beach and shallow water for wildlife. For example, in principle, no more than 60 acres of mangroves are planted in 100 acres of tidal flats, leaving 40% of the space for birds and other animals to inhabit. "The next step is to systematically and comprehensively deploy the protection and restoration of mangrove wetland ecosystems, especially to leave enough ecological space for the natural restoration of mangroves." ”
There are many types of wetlands in China, which are widely distributed, and have given birth to a rich variety of wetland wildlife. Scientific protection and restoration of wetlands is of great significance to the protection and restoration of rare and endangered species and biodiversity.
On November 11, at the Geneva branch of the conference, Yancheng, Jiangsu was awarded the certificate of "International Wetland City". Chen Zhizhou, deputy director of the management office of Jiangsu Yancheng National Rare Bird Nature Reserve, said in his speech at the forum that Yancheng Wetland National Rare Bird Nature Reserve mainly protects rare wild animals such as red-crowned cranes and the coastal wetland ecosystem on which they depend.
"In terms of wetland ecological governance, we adhere to nature-based restoration plans, and have successively implemented pilot projects such as water diversion and humidification, reed control, and alterniflora control." Chen Zhizhou introduced.
Every year, more than 4/5 of China's wild red-crowned cranes winter here. In recent years, the reserve has carried out artificial breeding and rewilding research on red-crowned cranes, and this year 42 red-crowned cranes have been bred, and it has been found that the wild red-crowned cranes have been successfully bred naturally in the wild for five consecutive years.
With a total area of about 247,300 hectares, how to strengthen control while restoring it is a challenge that staff must face.
"We use information technology to monitor the wetland ecology at all times, equipped with 2 patrol vehicles, 6 drones, and 297 surveillance cameras; Carry out the reform of the functions of management and nursing stations, and build 4 standard management and nursing stations. Chen Zhizhou said that the protected area and the forestry department have formed a linkage mechanism to jointly build a network of ecological protection and wildlife management.
"Chinese practice" makes green water and green mountains become gold and silver mountains
Zhanjiang, Guangdong, is a dense mangrove forest with wintering migratory birds. In recent years, on the basis of consolidating the trend of green development, Zhanjiang has focused on exploring and promoting the value of ecological resources. Accelerating the construction of pilot cities for marine carbon neutrality, the Zhanjiang mangrove project has become China's first blue carbon carbon sink project, and mangroves are gradually becoming "golden forests".
The Wetland Protection Law proposes to "realize the unity of ecological, social and economic benefits", and strives to solve the contradiction between wetland protection and utilization. How to protect in development and develop in protection? Relevant experts said that adhering to the concept that green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains, and exploring a high-quality development path that prioritizes protection and rational utilization.
The curved water loop, the mountains are all around, the famous garden and ancient temples, front and back. As the first national wetland park in China, Hangzhou Xixi Wetland organically combines the city, people and wetland, not only the wetland has been restored, the urban environment and function have been improved, and the people's income and happiness have also been significantly improved.
Where is the wisdom of Xixi wetland protection embodied? Chen Lin, director of the Ecological and Cultural Research Center of Hangzhou Xixi National Wetland Park, introduced that on the one hand, it is to protect and restore, rescue and protect natural and cultural heritage through interception of sewage pipes, diversion of water into the park, and ecological restoration of vegetation, restore 45 natural and cultural landscapes such as Qiuxuean and Xixi Caotang, and preserve the authenticity, integrity and continuity of Xixi Wetland.
On the other hand, it is the practice and utilization, the development of folk festivals, and the development of ecotourism. Promote the employment of indigenous people, engage in fishery, farming and management services, and share the fruits and benefits of conservation and utilization. According to statistics, since the opening of the park in 2005, the cumulative operating income of Xixi Wetland has reached nearly 2.2 billion yuan, which has played a strong demonstration and radiation role in promoting the sustainable economic and social development of surrounding areas.
Changde City, Hunan Province is located on the west bank of Dongting Lake and contains the Chengtou Mountain rice wetland civilization. "The urban ecology of the natural integration of mountains, water, forests, fields, lakes and other life communities has formed a pattern of Changde wetlands with rich resources and unique charm." Gong Dehan, former vice mayor of Changde City, introduced that the city has 190,890 hectares of wetlands, of which 136,800 hectares are included in the protection area, and the protection rate reaches 71.66%.
In recent years, Changde City has improved local regulations on wetland protection, strengthened special rectification and systematic governance, implemented water replenishment, water diversion, and river and lake connection projects, etc., making the city more livable, and citizens have a greater sense of gain when they enjoy green mountains and green water.
"Green into gold" is also inseparable from the power of enterprises, organizations and the public. The China Environmental Protection Foundation and Melaleuca (China) Commodity Co., Ltd. are scientifically and orderly promoting the protection and restoration of coastal wetlands, including seagrass beds, and the improvement of carbon sink benefits of blue carbon ecosystems. In Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, the Wuhan Optics Valley Landscape Public Welfare Foundation and local communities have opened up posts to form a black-necked crane monitoring team, and tried to plant grass to alleviate the degradation of grasslands in the plateau wetlands... At this conference, a side meeting and sub-forum conveyed new thinking and new paths for the interaction and transformation of the "two mountains".
"China Proposition" helps the new development of global wetland protection
In China's practice of wetland protection, the participation and assistance of international organizations have also contributed to it. At the conference, representatives of many international organizations and foreign parties elaborated on their work in wetland conservation in China and the reference significance of Chinese wisdom to global action and international cooperation in wetland conservation.
"WWF is not only an observer, but also an advocate and supporter of wetland conservation in China." Lu Lunyan said that WWF has set up the Yangtze River and Freshwater Conservation Project for more than 20 years, and has made a lot of demonstrations in the local protection of wetlands, the purification of water sources in constructed wetlands, community participation and other sustainable wetland utilization. Actively advocate the Convention on Wetlands, assist protected areas to declare wetlands of international importance, and assist cities in declaring and building international wetland cities.
"More than 20 years ago, our colleagues worked to bring the world's advanced wetland conservation and management experience to China at that time to solve problems in freshwater ecosystems." Today, Lu said, China's leading role in wetlands is particularly evident in many global conservation issues. Therefore, in addition to contributing to wetland conservation itself, WWF hopes to play a good role as a "bridge" between China and the international wetland stage.
As the international implementing arm of the Global Environment Facility, UNDP has been working with Chinese governments at all levels to implement a series of biodiversity projects for 28 years.
"Wetland conservation has been a priority area for a range of implementation project support." UNDP Assistant Representative to China Ma Chaode said that during the seventh replenishment of the Global Environment Facility, UNDP and the State Forestry and Grassland Administration jointly launched the "East Asia-Australasia Migration Route China Migratory Bird Conservation Network Construction Project".
"We have introduced international successful experience, combined with the oriental wisdom of China's 'Taoist nature' through extensive experiments and demonstrations, strengthened the capacity building of various stakeholders, comprehensively enhanced the awareness of ecological environmental protection in the whole society, and raised public awareness through the method of 'small hands holding big hands, big hands holding small hands'." Ma Chaode said.
"The global wetlands situation in recent years is not optimistic, which has implications for biodiversity, the balance of adjacent ecosystems and the development of countries themselves." Venezuelan Ambassador to China Giuseppe Joveredo said that China has made historic achievements in wetland protection, and the recently implemented Wetland Protection Law provides important references for countries to improve relevant laws. Venezuela is willing to work closely with China to jointly practice the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and contribute to the global process of wetland conservation.
The ancient Chinese once wrote that "cranes sing in Jiugao, sound in the wild". For thousands of years, Haohao soup has been in solidarity with wetlands, harmonious coexistence, and integrated into the bloodline of Chinese civilization. Until now, China has integrated into the world family of wetland conservation, demonstrating the vitality of wetland protection and restoration with oriental wisdom. Looking ahead, China will continue to contribute to global wetland conservation.
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China's wetland protection has gone through three stages: clarifying the family background, consolidating the foundation, rescue protection, and comprehensive protection, and with the implementation of the Wetland Protection Law, it has entered a new stage of legal development. Today, China's wetlands cover an area of 56.35 million hectares, accounting for 4% of the world's wetlands, meeting one-fifth of the world's population for wetland production, life, ecology and culture, and making important contributions to the conservation and rational use of global wetlands. (Reporter: Fan Haotian, Qiang Yuwen, Liu Wenwen)