Chinanews.com, Wuhan, December 6th, title: "Wetland City" Wuhan: the beauty of man and nature
Author Wu Yili
Wetlands are transfer stations and habitats for migrating birds to rest and supplement their nutrition, and their environment directly affects the reproduction of bird populations and the balance of ecosystems.
On the 5th, the reporter came to Wuhan Shenhu Wetland with the Wuhan Bird Watching Association to conduct bird surveys and record the number, population and general situation of the birds.
The Shenhu Wetland covers a total area of 174,000 mu, with vast swamps, lake beaches, meadows and abundant biological resources.
Walking around the lake along the embankment, you can see endless vegetation.
During the low water season, the sandbar beaches are exposed to the water, attracting flocks of birds to roost.
Occasionally, birds of prey show off their majestic appearance on this occasion of water and sky, arousing thousands of birds to fly together, which is quite spectacular.
Among these birds, there are not only red ducks, great egrets, bean geese, etc., but also the eastern white stork, a national first-class protected animal, and the gray crane and cygnet, a second-class national protected animal.
"A lot of birds come to Wuhan to live through the winter at this time of the year, and there are still many rare birds this year!" said Mingliang, a member of the Wuhan Bird Watching Association.
Since the beginning of autumn this year, flamingos, curly feather pelicans, black storks, etc. have successively visited Shenhu Lake, and wild boars and raccoon dogs have often appeared.
"It's like a gathering of birds." A passing villager said with emotion.
According to survey data, there were 84 species of birds observed in Shenhu that day, with more than 48,000 birds.
According to Yan Jun, president of Wuhan Bird Watching Association, the number of birds in Shenhu Lake can reach about 80,000 at its peak.
Fang Ying, director of the Shenhu Wetland Nature Reserve Administration Bureau, introduced that in recent years, Shenhu has vigorously implemented rehabilitating the lake, demolishing the fence of the original fish pond and lotus pond, replacing it with planting emergent and floating plants to create an ecological island , Can meet the needs of different animals: white spoonbills and other wading birds like to forage on the shallows. In summer, when the water is high, snakes, soft-shelled turtles and small muntjac can avoid water on the island.
Judging from the regular surveys conducted by the Wuhan Bird Watching Association in wetland parks and protection areas such as Zhangdu Lake, Anshan, Fuhe, and Tianxingzhou, in recent years, the city’s bird population and number have shown a steady upward trend.
To ensure biodiversity, Hubei continues to carry out the protection and restoration of wetland nature reserves and wetland parks.
Wuhan City has initiated the construction of smart wetlands to create a forest and grass ecological smart perception system marked by real-time monitoring, rapid diagnosis, independent analysis, efficient decision-making, and precise management. After completion, it can realize full-coverage online monitoring of the city's wetland nature reserves.
In November 2022, the 14th Conference of the Parties of the "Wetland Convention" will be held in Wuhan.
Yan Jun said that Wuhan has many natural environmental protection organizations, more than 200,000 wetland protection and science popularization and education volunteers.
Wuhan, surrounded by swarms of wetlands, is bound to be stunning.
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