A corner of the shoreline of the Nanji Islands The government of Nanji Town, Pingyang County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province Courtesy of the government
Reporter Guo Yuanyuan
Protecting marine biodiversity and promoting harmonious coexistence between man and nature is something that Zhejiang has been doing unremittingly for a long time.
In 2005, Ximen Island in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, was approved as China's first national marine special protection area. Since then, Zhejiang Province has taken the construction of marine ecological reserves as an opportunity to vigorously promote the construction of marine protected area infrastructure. Today, the number of marine protected areas in Zhejiang Province is increasing, the protected area is gradually expanding, the quality of seawater is constantly improving, the mangroves in the protected areas are growing happily, and the coastline is more beautiful. More and more marine organisms choose to inhabit and reproduce here, which has become a true portrayal of Zhejiang's construction of a marine ecological civilization.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="4" > the "family" of protected areas continues to grow</h1>
In 1990, the Zhejiang Nanji Islands Marine Nature Reserve was established. Over the years, in accordance with relevant requirements, the reserve has severely cracked down on violations of laws and regulations that damage the local marine ecological environment, strictly prohibited foreign vessels from carrying out illegal fishing in the Nanji Islands Protected Area, strictly managed island tourism and the production and life of island residents, and continuously improved the quality of the local marine ecological environment.
The increasingly improved environment of the Nanji Archipelago Protected Area is only a microcosm of Zhejiang's efforts to strengthen marine ecological protection. In recent years, the number of marine protected areas in Zhejiang has increased, and there have been many new actions in management methods. In 2008, the Yushan Archipelago National Marine Ecological Special Protection Area was approved for establishment, mainly to protect rich marine resources and unique archipelago sea erosion landforms.
According to reports, the Yushan Archipelago Marine Special Protection Area is a large-scale seaweed agglomeration area in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, and the key protection objects are shellfish and algae, and the local thick-shelled mussels and striped mussels have long been famous in the surrounding areas. In addition, it is also a gathering place for more than 10 kinds of precious fish such as grouper, real seabream, black seabream, yellowfin seabream, stone seabream, black hair, sea bass, brown calamus and so on.
In 2019, Zhejiang's marine protected area "family" added 2 new members. The Zhejiang Provincial Government approved the establishment of the Provincial Marine Special Protection Zone in the eastern part of Zhoushan City and the Wenzhou Longwan Provincial Marine Special Protection Area. The reply clarifies that the total area of the provincial marine special protection area in the eastern part of Zhoushan City is 168,900 hectares, of which the area of the key protection area is 43,500 hectares, and the total area of the Wenzhou Longwan provincial marine special protection area is 2294.82 hectares, of which the area of the key protection area is 733.54 hectares.
In recent years, with the continuous growth of the "family" of the protected area and the continuous expansion of the protected area, Zhejiang has created more and more "comfort nests" suitable for breeding and inhabiting marine organisms.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="33" > the ecological benefits of mangroves</h1>
Mangroves are the habitats and spawning grounds of many marine organisms and have important ecological restoration functions.
In 2005, the Ximen Island Marine Special Protection Area was approved. Since then, the relevant departments of Wenzhou City have begun to plant mangroves in large areas in the protected area. Today, the local mangrove forest grows well, attracting a large number of birds to roost here, and many tourists come to see it. Practice has proved that mangroves have brought important ecological and economic benefits to the local area.
Mangroves provide important feeding grounds, shelters and habitats for many understory creatures. "Scientific studies have shown that benthic animals in mangrove areas have high biodiversity." Dr. Chen Qiuxia of the Institute of Subtropical Crops of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences said that the current research on benthic animals in Zhejiang mangrove forests is mainly concentrated in Yueqing Ximen Island and Yanpu Bay, and the study found that the biomass of benthic animals in mangroves is significantly higher than that in non-mangrove areas.
Mangroves are also typical coastal blue carbon ecosystems with efficient carbon sequestration capabilities, play an important role in the global carbon cycle, and play an important role in addressing global climate change.
In recent years, Zhejiang has set off a "maritime afforestation" operation. In 2020, the implementation plan for the special action for mangrove protection and restoration prepared by the relevant departments of Zhejiang Province passed the expert review. According to the plan, in the next 5 years, Zhejiang will build more than 200 hectares of mangroves, protect and restore existing mangroves, and play a major role in improving the coastal living environment, improving disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities, protecting marine ecosystems, and improving the ecological functions of coastal wetlands.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="34" > attract birds to roost and reproduce</h1>
In recent years, with the construction and expansion of marine protected areas and the increasing area of mangroves, many island birds have acquired vast habitats and breeding grounds.
Since 2013, the Chinese crested tern, known as the "Bird of Mythology", has been found in the Lishan Islands National Nature Reserve in Xiangshan, Zhejiang Province, for many years.
In the Red List of Endangered Species published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Chinese crested tern is listed as a critically endangered species. Their predation success rate, food abundance and reproductive success rate reflect the reproduction of marine surface fish populations to a certain extent, and are important indicators of marine ecosystem health. At present, the Xiangshan Lishan Archipelago has become a suitable choice for the construction of artificial attraction of Chinese crested terns.
In April 2021, Wenzhou Dongtou National Marine Park accurately recorded for the first time the breeding of rock herons on the coastal reefs of Wenzhou in the spring bird survey. In May, experts from the Zhejiang Academy of Oceanography observed 25 black-faced spoonbills, the world's endangered species, on the sand of trees in Wenzhou's Longwan Provincial Marine Special Protection Area.
On May 13, the "Wuzhishan Bird Island Joint Protection and Coordination Center" jointly established by zhoushan city was established. The center will take the three protection platforms of "sea protection, fish protection and island protection" as the carrier to crack down on all kinds of illegal and criminal acts that endanger marine life and the marine environment, and maintain marine ecological security.
According to reports, Wuzhishan Island is one of the three major bird sanctuaries in China and the only provincial-level island bird nature reserve in Zhejiang Province. In recent years, the number of water birds that come to inhabit and breed on the Wuzhishan Archipelago has increased year by year, from the initial observation of more than 300 to more than 14,000. At present, a total of 51 species of water birds have been observed and recorded in the reserve, including the world's critically endangered species, the Chinese crested tern, the world's endangered black-faced spoonbills, and the world's vulnerable species, the yellow-billed egret.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="35" > build a mutually beneficial and win-win pattern</h1>
In recent years, Zhejiang has taken the comprehensive improvement of the "Blue Bay" as an important starting point to promote the in-depth development of marine ecological protection and restoration, and achieved good results.
Since 2016, when the "Blue Bay" rectification action project in Wenzhou City (the core area of Dongtou National Marine Park), the "Blue Bay" rectification action project in Zhoushan City, and the "Blue Bay" rectification action in Ningbo City were included in the central island and sea area protection fund plan, Zhejiang has successfully declared 9 central financial support marine ecological protection and restoration projects, entering the "Blue Bay" era.
Taking Wenzhou's Dongtou District as an example, after the comprehensive improvement of the "Blue Bay", the local area has undergone tremendous changes. After the local embankment was broken to the sea, the migration channels of fish and shrimp such as perch, anchovies and eels at the mouth of the Oujiang River were opened, forming a trench and creating a new breeding habitat for fish, shrimp and shellfish. The project has played an important role in protecting local marine biodiversity and restoring the marine ecosystem of the Oujiang Estuary.
In 2018, the "Three-year Action Plan for The Improvement and Restoration of the Coastline of Zhejiang Province" was introduced. The "Plan" makes it clear that by 2020, the province's 342.58 km coastline will be repaired and restored, ensuring that the natural shoreline retention rate of the mainland of the province is not less than 35%, and the natural shoreline retention rate of the island is not less than 78%. In order to improve the water quality of the coastal waters, the "Plan" proposes to clean up the nearshore garbage, dismantle the abandoned enterprise factories and abandoned docks, etc. After three years of efforts, Zhejiang has fully completed the task of improving and restoring 342.58 kilometers of coastline, including 185.06 kilometers of ecological shoreline of the mainland and 88.24 kilometers of ecological shoreline of Zhoushan Island.
In order to improve the water quality of the coast, Zhejiang has taken measures such as reducing offshore sewage outlets and shutting down some offshore polluting enterprises. Since 2017, the number of sewage outlets into the sea has been reduced from 462 to 122.
In June 2020, the Zhoushan "Blue Bay" remediation action project passed the acceptance. After remediation and restoration, the local shoreline has become clearer, the sea water has become clearer, the mangrove forests have become more dense, and the marine biodiversity has been effectively protected.
In May 2021, Zhejiang completed the country's first provincial-level comprehensive assessment index system for marine ecology, and since then, zhejiang has had a "physical examination form" for the comprehensive evaluation of marine ecology, which has made useful explorations for strengthening the comprehensive control of marine ecology in coastal areas.
During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Zhejiang will continue to firmly establish the concept of "green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains", focus on digital reform and smart marine construction, put ecological protection in the first place, actively promote the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, and strive to build a mutually beneficial and win-win development pattern of natural resource protection and economic development.