February 2 is the 29th World Wetland Day, which coincides with the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. The wind is cold and the morning of Tianjin Qilihai Wetland is shrouded in a thin mist. Although during the Spring Festival holiday, Yu Jiagen and several patrol team members still stick to their posts as usual.

Yu Jiagen is a staff member of the Tianjin Qilihai Wetland Nature Reserve Management Committee. At 8 a.m., he neatly put on his thick cotton suit, took over the previous shift, and started a day's patrol record work.

The escort slowly drove into the depths of the wetland. Looking from the window, there were patches of reeds rising and falling in the wind. Occasionally, a few birds flew up from the reeds, making crisp chirping. Yu Jiagen stopped the car, picked up the telescope, observed the situation in the distance, muttering: "The on-duty personnel must check the progress of the reed wheel cutting, and also pay attention to whether someone entered the wetlands in violation of regulations. Winter is another critical period for wetland fire prevention, and we must not relax during the Spring Festival holiday."

Yu Jiagen is using a telescope to observe the situation in the wetlands in the distance. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Siyu

This Qilihai Wetland located in Ninghe District, Tianjin is the largest natural wetland in the Beijing-Tianjin-Tang Dynasty Triangle area and is known as the "Beijing-Tianjin Green Lung". Yu Jiagen, 42, grew up next to the wetlands and was deeply touched by the ecological changes here.

"When I was a child, the environment here was pleasant and I came to play every day. But later, many contractors began to raise fish, and the medicines they put on floats on the water surface, and the water became green and smelly. In addition, the disorderly development, the mudflats were exposed, the wetland environmental quality was severely degraded, and many fish disappeared." Yu Jiagen recalled.

"The water is now clear and transparent. Reeds grow vigorously in summer. Walking in it, you will breathe very smoothly." He said with a smile, and the increase in "far-distance guests" followed. "The scene of the migratory bird migration season is very spectacular, and the "Bird China Treasure" oriental white storks have also become frequent visitors. At most, thousands of people appear in the wetlands in a day!"

The ecological environment of the wetlands has improved significantly, and patrol methods are becoming increasingly diversified. After more than an hour of manual inspection, the reporter followed Yu Jiagen to the Qilihai National Important Wetland Monitoring Center. Guo Jinyuan, the on-duty staff, was using the smart monitoring system to conduct three-dimensional monitoring of wild animals and plants, ecological environment, fire prevention points and other elements in the protected area.

In the Tianjin Qilihai Wetland Nature Reserve, drones are patrolling. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Siyu

"In addition to manual patrol, we now have intelligent 'assistants' such as drones, AR high-point monitoring, infrared thermal imaging, etc. 'Human Defense + Technical Defense' makes daily patrol work more convenient and efficient," said Guo Jinyuan.

On the smart large screen, the panoramic view of the wetland is clearly visible, and the infrared thermal imaging system monitors in real time. Any abnormal temperature changes will be quickly identified and alarmed. Guo Jinyuan clicked the mouse and switched to the AR high point monitoring perspective, and saw the details of all parts of the wetland. Last year, the Qilihai Wetland Nature Reserve Management Committee also introduced drones to conduct intelligent inspections of waters, rivers and reeds that are difficult for human resources to patrol and manage.

Tian Xiujing, director of the Management Committee of Tianjin Qilihai Wetland Nature Reserve, introduced that the smart monitoring system of wetlands can promptly and accurately obtain information on bird species, quantity and distribution, and use scientific and technological means to achieve integrated biodiversity monitoring of "sky and earth" and protect the ecological security of wetlands.

Now, the number of birds inhabited by Qilihai Wetland has increased from 182 species more than ten years ago to 258 species. Behind the numbers is the persistence of countless front-line personnel like Yu Jiagen. "This is a work that benefits future generations, and our work is worth it!"

Migratory birds photographed at the Tianjin Qilihai Wetland Nature Reserve on March 13, 2024. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fanyue

The ecological butterfly transformation of Qilihai Wetland is a microcosm of Tianjin's promotion of wetland protection and restoration work. Tianjin has a flat terrain, crisscrossing rivers and canals, and rich wetland resources. The total area of ​​wetlands exceeds 2,700 square kilometers. Every spring and autumn, more than one million migratory birds pass through to stay in Tianjin to "replenish energy".

"We actively carry out wetland ecological restoration, promote the construction of an integrated monitoring and monitoring system for wetland protection, continuously improve the diversity, stability and sustainability of wetland ecosystems, and strive to draw an ecological picture of ecological livability and harmonious coexistence between man and nature." said Jiao Xiaotong, director of the Wetland Nature Reserve Management and Wildlife Protection Department of Tianjin Planning and Natural Resources Bureau. (Reporter Xu Siyu)