From Endangered to Reborn - Observation of the Butterfly Transformation in the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland over 20 Years | Wetlands | Minjiang River

From April to September, the Chinese phoenix tern, known as the "mythical bird," visited the wetlands at the mouth of the Minjiang River as scheduled. This relatively rare and endangered bird, which had long disappeared from human sight. In recent years, they have been reporting to the wetlands at the mouth of the Minjiang River every year, attracting many bird watching enthusiasts.

As an important relay station for migratory birds in East Asia Australia, the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland is one of the areas in China with the highest distribution of waterbird species and numbers per unit area, attracting rare and endangered birds such as the Chinese crested tern, spoon billed sandpiper, and black faced spoonbill to inhabit and forage.

But 21 years ago, the wetland at the mouth of the Minjiang River was once endangered due to human activities and production.

After 21 years of hard work, the wetlands at the mouth of the Minjiang River have gone from endangered to reborn. In recent years, the wetlands at the mouth of the Minjiang River have been awarded titles such as "Hometown of Chinese Crested Terns" and "Top Ten Charming Wetlands in China". They were selected for the 2020 National Important Wetland List and included in the International Important Wetland List in February of this year.

Nowadays, more and more people are participating in the protection of wetlands at the mouth of the Minjiang River, composing a touching chapter of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Rare birds "drift across the sea" to inhabit

In the breeding season, more than 10 Chinese crested terns paced and played on the mudflat of the Minjiang estuary wetland. The male bird raises its black crown feathers to show love, or carries a fish to give gifts to the female bird, with each movement carefully captured by a photographer from afar.

Under the azure sky, there is a vast expanse of water, and the vigorous vitality is spreading in the wetlands at the mouth of the Minjiang River. Through the morning glow and the evening song of fishing boats in the afterglow, a hundred birds gather together, choosing their branches to perch.

A group of birds are soaring on the sea surface of the wetland at the mouth of the Minjiang River. Photo by Wei Peiquan, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

For over 20 years, Wang Naizhu, a veteran bird photography enthusiast in Fuzhou, has witnessed the transformation of the wetlands at the mouth of the Minjiang River. "Every day, the birds in the wetlands are changing, and in recent years, their numbers and species have become increasingly abundant. Some have changed from 'passersby' to 'long-term residents'." Wang Naizhu flipped through the colorful and diverse bird species in the photo album, making it a treasure trove.

Many rare birds have drifted across the sea to settle here. Through the ups and downs of winter and summer, in the bird watching notes of wetland staff, record the stories of various birds and wetlands:

A group of birds flew over the beach of the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve. Photo by Wei Peiquan, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

From October 31, 2021 to March 7, 2022, little swans from the Arctic ice sheet spent 128 days in the wetlands at the mouth of the Minjiang River, with a maximum population of 654; In September 2022, two rare and endangered bird species, the spoon billed sandpiper, from the Siberian tundra arrived early; In winter, the rare and endangered bird species, the black faced spoonbill, can be observed up to nearly 200 at once

A group of black faced spoonbills are foraging on the wetland beach at the mouth of the Minjiang River. Photo by Wei Peiquan, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

"According to monitoring, there are a total of 313 bird species here, with over 50000 water birds migrating and resting here year-round. More than 80% of the 80 species of nationally protected wildlife in the wetland are birds," Zheng Hang, director of the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve Management Office in Fujian, told reporters.

Zheng Hang, Director of the Management Office of the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve, and his colleagues observed and recorded the species of migratory birds staying in the core area of the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland using binoculars and cameras. Photo by Wei Peiquan, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

How can the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland, with an area of 2381.85 hectares, attract so many rare birds to linger and stop?

Zheng Huaizhou, an expert in bird surveys at the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland, said that among the nine migratory bird migration channels worldwide, the East Asia Australia migration channel has the highest number and variety of migratory birds, and the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland happens to be located on this channel. The marine and terrestrial ecological processes connected by the Minjiang River have created a series of unique wetlands and nearshore habitats, which are considered one of the regions with the most abundant marine species at the same latitude in the northern hemisphere.

A group of swans are foraging on the sea surface of the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve. Photo by Wei Peiquan, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

"Treasures" salvaged from endangered species

In February of this year, the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland in Fujian was listed as an internationally important wetland.

The good news came, and Professor Liu Jianqiu from the School of Life Sciences at Fujian Normal University was both excited and pleased.

Recalling a scene 21 years ago, he still felt a surge of emotion.

Due to long-term land reclamation, reclamation and aquaculture, and even illegal discharge, the ecology of the Minjiang River estuary wetland has been severely damaged and is in an endangered state. After multiple investigations, Liu Jianqiu was extremely anxious: "The wetland area has decreased, and the number of birds traveling from south to north has also greatly decreased. What is even more worrying is that some wetlands, such as Eel Beach, will be planned for road construction and real estate development, and birds will lose their habitats." He and several ecological and environmental experts rushed around to call for it.

This is a corner of Eel Beach in the core area of Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve. Photo by Wei Peiquan, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

He made a directive: "Wetland protection is an important part of ecological protection. In order to build an ecological province in our province, we must attach importance to the protection of wetlands."

The "Ecological Defense War" of the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland has been launched since then:

In 2003, the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland County-level Nature Reserve was established; In 2007, the wetland was upgraded to a provincial-level nature reserve; In 2013, it was upgraded to a national level nature reserve; In 2015, it was approved to build a national wetland park

At the management office of the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve in Fujian, staff demonstrated satellite remote sensing photos to reporters. Over the years, the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland has been clearly visible as "people retreating and the earth advancing". At the beginning of this century, the images of breeding farms and fish ponds appeared in large black areas, and now the green areas are connected, forming a beautiful picture with the blue ocean.

This is a collage photo: the left image is a satellite image of the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve in April 2009; The right image is a satellite image of the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve in June 2020. Shen Jizhong

"In the past 21 years, a total of 3197 acres of wetlands and surrounding areas at the mouth of the Minjiang River have been cleared for aquaculture, maximizing the protection of wetland ecology," said Lan Chao, Director of the Fuzhou Forestry Bureau.

In recent years, the central and provincial levels have invested a total of 32 million yuan to treat the alien species of Spartina alterniflora in the wetlands at the mouth of the Minjiang River. In the wetlands after treatment, more than 2600 acres of local vegetation such as mangroves, short leaved elm, and reeds have been restored and planted. In 2020, the experience of ecological restoration of wetlands in the Minjiang River estuary was included in the "National Ecological Civilization Pilot Zone Reform Measures and Experience Practice Promotion List".

This is the mangrove forest in the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve. Photo by Wei Peiquan, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

Fuzhou Mayor Wu Xiande told reporters that for the past 21 years, the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee and Government have been continuously promoting the protection and restoration of wetlands at the Minjiang River Estuary. Currently, they are making every effort to promote the application of wetlands at the Minjiang River Estuary for World Natural Heritage and create a model for wetland protection in China.

Encourage more and more people to participate in wetland conservation

In the evening, within the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland Nature Reserve, the sunset gilded the water surface with a layer of gold. Looking at the herons foraging in the distance, caretaker Lin Fajin felt very pleased.

Every day, Lin Fajin will patrol more than 20 kilometers on an electric vehicle. His main task is to prevent bird hunting and destruction of mudflat.

At the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve, ranger Lin Fajin and colleagues patrol and observe the bird condition in the reserve. Photo by Wei Peiquan, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

"In the past, many people didn't pay much attention to persuading not to catch birds, but now everyone's awareness of protection has increased, and speaking is also effective," Lin Fajin said.

More than 10 years ago, Lin Fajin was still one of the largest shrimp farmers near the wetland protection area, contracting over 200 acres of ponds for shrimp farming. At that time, in the fishing village adjacent to the estuary of the Minjiang River, the villagers had lived on the sea and mudflat breeding for generations, and the resulting water pollution also made it difficult for waterfowl to find a place to live.

In 2017, under the promotion of the local government, a "retired and wet" campaign officially began. Lin Fajin became the first farmer in the village to sign a retirement agreement. After retirement, he did not leave the wetland and became a caretaker.

Protecting wetlands has become a consensus among local people and has also brought new livelihoods. A few years ago, 45 year old farmer Lin Baogan withdrew from the fish pond and came to work in the wetland. Now, relying on two jobs: patrol and picking up floating garbage, he can earn about 60000 yuan per year. Every day, he spends time with gulls and egrets, and his mood is particularly comfortable.

"We used to engage in aquaculture, and we used to be wary of birds stealing fish and shrimp every day. Now, we look forward to birds coming." Lin Baogan raised his telescope and carefully searched for the whereabouts of the egret.

A panoramic view of the Wetland Museum located in the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland. Photo by Wei Peiquan, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

Lin Baogan said that every summer vacation, he also takes his children to volunteer at the Wetland Museum. Although it was just a simple guiding task, the child was particularly excited. Whenever the school organizes a visit to the Wetland Museum, he always proudly says, "The Wetland Museum is right at my doorstep!"

The protection and utilization of wetlands at the mouth of the Minjiang River have brought more than 110 patrol, management, and cleaning positions to the local people. The return of wetlands also allows more people to see and share the treasure at their doorstep.

In the core area of the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve, two bird watching enthusiasts set up cameras to take pictures of the Chinese phoenix headed tern. Photo by Wei Peiquan, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

Wooden boardwalks, bird watching sheds, museums... The Minjiang River Estuary National Wetland Park on the outskirts of the protected area not only provides a buffer zone for the protected area, but also becomes a popular check-in point for ecotourism. New formats such as rural tourism and sightseeing agriculture are becoming increasingly popular. The Minjiang River Estuary National Wetland Park receives up to 500000 visitors annually and attracts over 3000 volunteers each year.

Among many wetland guardians, there is also a special team - the Fujian Bird Watching Association. This is a public welfare organization composed of natural enthusiasts such as birds and insects. Last year, the association signed a 10-year cooperation agreement with the Fujian Minjiang Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve Management Office, which will widely organize primary and secondary school students to participate in research activities.

"We search for scenery in wetlands, also guarding the beautiful scenery, and passing it down from generation to generation," said Yang Jin, Executive Vice President of the Fujian Birdwatching Association.

The Chinese phoenix tern, known as the "mythical bird," skimmed over the core beach of the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve. Photo by Wei Peiquan, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

On August 16, 2022, with biodiversity as a prominent value, the National Committee of UNESCO in China applied for the "Fujian Minjiang Estuary Wetland: Transition Zone of Marine and Land Biogeographical Zoning", which was successfully included in the World Heritage Reserve List.

The reeds sway and the green water flows leisurely, while the migratory birds fill the entire continent.

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