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Wuhan, July 16th, Xinhua News Agency - Question: Transformation of Chenhu Wetland

Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Xianghe

Recently, the reporter traveled along the Yangtze River to conduct an interview and saw that the delta area where the Yangtze River and Han River intersect was densely covered with lakes and a crisscrossing water network. The only internationally important wetland in Wuhan, Chenhu Wetland, is located here. Walking up the embankment of the Chenhu Lake, I only feel the vast water and clear clouds. Through a telescope, it was discovered that there were dense black spots on the floating leaves of the lake in the distance, which turned out to be a group of waterbirds nesting and breeding here. The forest was also bustling with birds.

"The Chenhu Wetland, which once suffered ecological degradation due to fish farming in the lake, has now transformed into a 'bird paradise'," sighed Feng Jiang, an engineer at the Chenhu Wetland Nature Reserve in Caidian District, Wuhan. Following Feng Jiang on the road of patrol, the reporter learned about the past and present of the Chenhu Wetland.

Overlooking the Chenhu Wetland.

The Chenhu Wetland is mainly composed of Chenhu, Zhangjiada Lake, Wangjia Shehu, and some surrounding embankments, with a total area of 11579.1 hectares. It is the largest typical freshwater lake swamp wetland in the Jianghan Plain and an important site for bird migration in East Asia Australia. "The ecological environment of Chenhu Wetland has a significant impact on the Tongshun River Basin, a tributary of the Yangtze River, and even the Yangtze River. It is also a breeding ground for many migratory birds to build nests," said Feng Jiang.

The Chenhu Wetland nourishes a region of life. Chen Weibing, former village branch secretary of Yuqiao Village in Xiaosi Township, Caidian District, Wuhan City, introduced that nearby villagers have relied on water and fishing for generations to make a living. "In the 1980s, clear lake water could even be directly consumed.".

In 2008, Feng Jiang, who had just graduated from university, came to Chenhu Wetland to work. The first thing that caught his eye was the fish pond with a grid like pattern and the dense fence.

"The increasingly dense net fishing has made the ecology of Chenhu Lake unsustainable," said Chen Weibing. At first, fish were raised in the pond, which increased farmers' income. Later, large fish ponds were contracted out for large-scale aquaculture. In order to increase production, farmers invest a large amount of feces and feed into the water, and groups of fish eat aquatic plants, resulting in severe eutrophication of the water body. Some areas of the Chenhu Lake have become "green water" that is "smelly and dirty", and at worst, it is classified as inferior Class V water in the long term.

In addition to enclosing the lake for fish farming, the high terrain of the Chenhu Wetland is also cultivated into farmland. Migratory birds prefer to eat fish, shrimp, and peck at crops the most. The conflict between villagers and birds is growing day by day, and behaviors such as hunting wild birds and collecting bird eggs are prevalent for a while.

"The water is polluted, people drive it away, and birds don't want to come. The sunken lake has become unrecognizable." Chen Weibing said that for a period of time, the flock of geese flying to spend the winter often had nowhere to settle, so they had to repeatedly hover in the sky.

Migratory birds are flying over the sunken lake wetland. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wu Zhizun

Remembering pain after a painful experience. In 2013, Chenhu Wetland was included in the International Important Wetland List. In 2014, the Interim Measures for Ecological Compensation in Wuhan Wetland Nature Reserve were officially implemented.

"According to the ecological compensation standards, the farmland and fish ponds in the experimental zone, buffer zone, and core area of Chenhu Wetland can receive compensation ranging from 25 yuan to 50 yuan per acre, to guide surrounding farmers to adjust their planting and breeding methods," Feng Jiang said. After the implementation of ecological compensation, coupled with the unremitting promotion of wetland protection by the staff, the attitude of the surrounding villagers has undergone a significant change. The crops were pecked by birds, and the villagers joked, "Just treat the birds to dinner.".

Starting from 2017, the Chenhu Wetland began a comprehensive ban on net farming, and all 32000 acres of net farming in the protected area were dismantled. In 2019, the implementation of "returning farmland to the lake" resulted in the orderly withdrawal of all production activities within the 78000 mu area of the core and buffer zones of the Chenhu Wetland. After retirement, the wetland ecological restoration project will be launched, with natural restoration as the main focus and artificial restoration as a supplement. After years of restoration, the water quality of Chenhu Lake has significantly improved and is currently elevated to Class IV water body.

"After years of recuperation, the Chenhu Wetland has gradually achieved self repair, forming a variety of ecological environments such as lakes, marshes, mudflat, meadows, etc., providing suitable habitat for all kinds of creatures. Birds such as the great red stork and the curly pelican have appeared for many times," said Feng Jiang.

Gray headed wheat chicken captured in the Chenhu Wetland.

At present, 283 bird species have been monitored in the Chenhu Wetland, including 64 nationally protected bird species. Among them, 19 bird species have a distribution that exceeds 1% of the global population.

Nowadays, the remaining embankments around the lake are covered with reeds and reeds, and seeds that have been dormant at the bottom of the lake for many years have emerged, with thickets, lotus, and papyrus trees growing. In the lake, aquatic insects, shrimp, crabs, and wild ducks shuttle and forage, while egrets occasionally fly in, presenting a new ecological picture of clear water, fish jumping, and birds dancing gracefully.

After the patrol ended, Feng Jiang showcased the Chenhu Wetland Biodiversity Intelligent Monitoring System to reporters at the Qihao Protection Station. This system can automatically identify bird species and numbers through bird images and calls, and monitor environmental indicators such as hydrology, water quality, and meteorology in real-time. "Smart monitoring has made our work more scientific and data more accurate, providing more solid wings for protecting wetlands and birds." Feng Jiang said, believing that the future of Chenhu Wetland will continue to improve.