Why can the youngest wetland in the Yellow River Delta attract millions of birds?

In the land of our motherland that carries the gifts of nature and the imprint of human civilization, Shandong Dongying, the central city of the Yellow River Delta, has become a bright spot in the beautiful picture of China with its unique geographical location and rich natural resources. The Dongying Yellow River Estuary Wetland is an ecological treasure on this land, witnessing the integration of the Yellow River and the sea over the long years.

The Dongying Yellow River Estuary Wetland is the youngest, most typical and most complete wetland ecosystem in the Yellow River Delta. Here, the water of the Yellow River and the wind of the sea interweave to form a climate with four distinct seasons, providing a unique living environment for wetland organisms. The wetland area is 4,567 square kilometers, with a wetland rate of 41.58%, covering 5 categories and 14 types of wetlands, including offshore and coastal wetlands, river wetlands, lake wetlands, swamp wetlands, and artificial wetlands, forming a complete and complex wetland ecosystem.

In recent years, Dongying City has actively responded to the call of the country's ecological civilization construction, taking the construction of a wetland city as an important task, scientifically implementing ecological protection and restoration, strengthening wetland protection and management, and improving wetland ecological functions. The implementation of a series of measures has significantly improved the ecological environment of the Dongying Yellow River Estuary Wetland, effectively improved biodiversity, and made it a beautiful landscape of Beautiful China.

The ecological protection achievements of the Dongying Yellow River Estuary Wetland are not only reflected in the increase in wetland area and wetland rate, but also in the significant enhancement of wetland biodiversity. As an important part of China's Yellow (Bohai) Sea migratory bird habitat, the Yellow River Estuary Wetland has become an "international airport" for the migration of millions of migratory birds. Every spring and autumn, these migratory birds cross thousands of mountains and rivers to come to this vast coast of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea and find their habitat. Rare birds such as Oriental white storks, black-headed gulls, and cranes breed and live here, and their numbers are increasing year by year. This year, the number of Oriental white storks' nests reached 202, and the number of chicks born reached 527, which fully demonstrates the importance of improving the wetland ecological environment to the survival of birds.

Dongying City's efforts in wetland protection are not only reflected in the protection of key species and native plants, but also in the overall restoration of wetland ecosystems. Dongying City adheres to the concept of "focusing on protection and governance" and accelerates the implementation of major projects for the protection and restoration of important ecosystems, and has restored 18,800 hectares of wetlands in total. Through scientific and reasonable restoration measures, Dongying City has formed a unique Yellow River Estuary Wetland Restoration Model, which has effectively promoted the virtuous cycle of the "river-land-beach-sea" ecosystem in the Yellow River Delta.

The ecological protection and restoration of the Huanghe Estuary Wetland in Dongying is a microcosm of the construction of ecological civilization in Beautiful China. As an important ecosystem on the earth, wetlands have multiple functions such as conserving water resources, storing flood water and preventing drought, regulating climate, and maintaining biodiversity. Protecting wetlands is to protect our common home and to promote the construction of ecological civilization in Beautiful China.

On the road to building a beautiful China's ecological civilization, Dongying Yellow River Estuary Wetland will continue to play its unique role and contribute to building a beautiful home where people and nature live in harmony.

Review: Xinhuanet Science Department