Follow the General Secretary to see China | Big River Continent: Drawing a new ecological picture
Viewed from the air, the Nine-Meander Yellow River stretches for thousands of miles, entering the sea from Dongying, Shandong Province. The sediment accumulates here to form continents, creating the magical and magnificent Yellow River Delta. On this 153,000 hectares of land, the wetlands are picturesque and birds gather.
On October 20, 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out when inspecting the Yellow River estuary that “the protection of the Yellow River estuary wetlands must be regarded as a noble cause, and the concept of ecological civilization should be carried forward on the new journey to achieve the second centenary goal. Socialist modernization adds luster.”
“The General Secretary asked us that this large wetland is rare and must be protected,” said Zhao Yajie, senior engineer of the Shandong Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve and deputy director of the Ecological Monitoring Center. “Birds are key species in the wetland ecosystem. It is a 'barometer' for testing the ecological environment of the reserve. Today, the number of bird species in the reserve has increased from 187 to 373 species. It is an important transit station, wintering ground and breeding ground for global birds. Domestic and foreign experts call it the 'International Airport for Birds'."
This is a paradise for millions of birds, and a home that generations of reserve staff have worked hard to protect. According to monitoring, the breeding numbers of key species such as Oriental white storks and black-billed gulls have shown a steady increase in the past two years, and more and more migratory birds in the reserve have become "resident birds."
Accompanying the continuous increase in bird populations and breeding numbers is the continued restoration of the Yellow River Delta wetland system and the continuous improvement of habitat conditions.
Walking into the office of Wang Lidong, chief of the Planning and Construction Section of the Shandong Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve Management Committee, a thick stack of project planning documents on the table is particularly eye-catching. They record the struggles of ecological protectors.
"Through exploration and establishment of the 'Yellow River Estuary Wetland Restoration Model', the reserve has added 74,000 acres of freshwater swamp wetlands in the past two years, with a total area of more than 300,000 acres. The ecological environment has been significantly improved, and the number of wild animals and plants has reached 1,630 and 411 species respectively. "Wang Lidong is like a treasure.
As a city at the mouth of the Yellow River, Dongying practices the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", insists on giving priority to ecology, protection and natural restoration, and strives to build the Yellow River Delta into an important benchmark for ecological protection and management of large river deltas.
"People in the reserve will keep in mind the instructions and continue to use our protection work to protect this large wetland, so that the resources of the Yellow River Estuary can be passed down from generation to generation and used sustainably, so that the Yellow River will always benefit the Chinese nation." Zhao Yajie said.
