February 2 is World Wetlands Day. It is the Spring Festival, and a large number of migratory birds migrate from the north to overwinter and "celebrating the New Year" in wetland-type nature reserves in various places. In the mangrove wetland in Futian, Shenzhen, Guangdong, black-faced spoonbills, ordinary cormorants, red-necked ducks, red-billed gulls, and red-legged stilts became the protagonists. They live here for food and prepare for their trip to breeding grounds. In Fujian Minjiang River Estuary Wetland, the rich ecological resources also make it a wintering paradise for protected animals such as black-faced spoonbills, white cranes, spoon-billed snipers.
The State Forestry and Grassland Administration introduced that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, my country has continued to promote wetland protection and restoration, organized and implemented more than 3,700 wetland protection and restoration projects, added and restored more than 1 million hectares of wetlands, and the national wetland area is stable at more than 56.35 million hectares; more than 2,200 wetland nature reserves of various types have been established, and the ecological conditions of important wetlands have been significantly improved. So, are the migratory birds migrating south doing well in the Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake? How much progress is the protection and restoration of wetlands in my country?
△Black-faced spoonbill in Futian Mangrove Wetland
The Futian Mangrove Wetland in the Futian National Nature Reserve in Neilingding, Guangdong is the only national nature reserve in the hinterland of the city and the smallest area. It was included in the "International Important Wetland List" in 2022. During the Chinese New Year, this place has become the best window for citizens and tourists to observe and experience nature, because many migratory birds "cove" the unique ecological resources here, and they have to come here to eat and drink enough before going to the breeding ground. Yang Qiong, a professor-level senior engineer at the National Nature Reserve Administration of Neilingding Futian National Nature Reserve in Guangdong, said that if you look closely at their appearance, you will find that they "have a good life" this Spring Festival.
Yang Qiong, professor-level senior engineer of the National Nature Reserve Administration of Neilingding Futian, Guangdong: It has been February, and it has only been more than a month since they left here and went to the breeding ground. At this time, these migratory birds have some new changes. If you look closely, you will find that they are more beautiful than when they first came, and many migratory birds have been replaced with breeding feathers. For example, our favorite black-faced spoonbill, you should pay attention to whether it has a "hair crown" on its head and whether it has a golden "collar" on its neck. Once the "hair crown" is long and the golden "collar" becomes yellower, it is basically time for it to say goodbye to Shenzhen and go to the north to breed. You will find that the fur color of ducks such as pie-billed ducks and red-necked ducks is getting brighter and brighter; some local lingering birds, such as great egrets, will grow breeding feathers, announcing that they are about to enter the breeding season.
△Migratory birds in the National Nature Reserve of Neilingding, Guangdong
When we mention the choice of migratory birds for wintering grounds, we often say that they will "vote with their feet." Yang Qiong said that in the past two years, the reserve has been continuously making efforts in scientific research, survey and monitoring, migratory bird habitat management, and has devoted itself to building an ecological home where man and nature coexist harmoniously; the "Bird-Friendly Urban Planning and Design Guidelines", which provide applicable solutions for building biodiversity-friendly cities, is also expected to be officially released within this year.
△Shenzhen Futian Mangrove Wetland
Mangrove Wetland is a common type of wetland in the southern coastal areas of my country. It is distributed in the intertidal zone of tropical and subtropical coasts and is mainly composed of mangrove plants. It plays an extremely important role in maintaining biodiversity, mitigation and adapting to climate change, disaster prevention and mitigation, and achieving sustainable development. At present, the area of mangroves in my country has reached 30,300 hectares, an increase of about 8,300 hectares from the beginning of this century, making it one of the few countries in the world with a net increase in mangroves.
In order to further improve the global mangrove protection capabilities and levels, on November 6, 2024, the International Mangrove Center was unveiled in Shenzhen. Weng Hongming, a staff member of the Shenzhen special team of the International Mangrove Center, introduced that at present, the Interim Secretariat of the International Mangrove Center has been operating normally in Shenzhen and is currently jointly supporting the Interim Secretariat to promote the approval of the first batch of 18 member states in various countries.
△Little swans and geese ducks in the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland in Fujian (photo/photo by Zheng Hang)
Like the mangrove wetland in Futian, Shenzhen, Fujian Minjiang River Estuary wetland is also on the list of the "International Important Wetlands List". During the Spring Festival, this place becomes a migratory bird paradise, attracting many migratory birds to come to live and overwinter, showing a vibrant ecological picture. Zheng Maokai, head of the Mission and Education Community Section of the National Nature Reserve Management Office of Fujian Minjiang River Estuary Wetlands, introduced that the protected area has further improved the habitat environment of migratory birds through measures such as creating ecological bird islands and restoring plant communities. At the same time, the protected area has also strengthened the monitoring and management of ecological factors such as water quality and soil to ensure the stability and health of the wetland ecosystem.
△The black-faced spoonbill group in the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland in Fujian (photo/photo)
The State Forestry and Grassland Administration stated that in recent years, my country has vigorously promoted the implementation of the "Special Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Mutual Flower Rice and Grass (2022-2025)", effectively prevent and control the invasion of alien species and maintain the health and safety of the wetland ecosystem. As of the end of 2024, the national area of eliminating and treating meridians reached 73,300 hectares, accounting for 89.4% of the total task, successfully curbing the unlimited spread of eliminating and eliminating meridians.
In addition, this year is the 20th anniversary of the creation of the National Wetland Park. Over the past 20 years, my country has established 903 national wetland parks, effectively protecting 2.4 million hectares of wetlands and driving regional economic growth of more than 50 billion yuan. At the same time, about 90% of national wetland parks are open to the public for free, and wetland parks have become an important green space shared by the people.
(Reporters from General Station Wang Zehua, Chen Geng, Chen Jing, Chen Xiaoye)
