China News Service, Xinzhou, March 13th: "Swan Lake" appears frequently and the ecology of Shanxi's Yellow River wetland continues to improve
Author Yang Jing
Sometimes they wander leisurely on the water, sometimes they bend over to comb their feathers, sometimes they bend their necks and sing loudly... On the 13th, at the ancient ferry at the west entrance of the Hequ River in Xinzhou, Shanxi, to the bend of the Yellow River along the Niangniang Beach, more than a hundred graceful white swans gathered in the green Yellow River water. The natural beauty of "Swan Lake" is staged.
On March 7, white swans flapped their wings and played in the water.
Photo by Yang Chenglin
Wang Yongsheng, head of the Yellow River Wetland Ecological Protection Center in Hequ County, said that as the ecological environment continues to improve, the local area has welcomed black storks, white swans and other birds to inhabit and overwinter for several consecutive years, and more than 110 species have been recorded.
"The ecological environment is improving, and there are many beautiful scenery along the Yellow River. Not only swans, but also egrets and herons are the focus of our lens." Zhang Yuming, a photography enthusiast who was shooting on the bank, told reporters.
On March 7, graceful white swans gathered in the green water of the Yellow River, performing the natural beauty of "Swan Lake".
Photo by Miao Ji
Hequ County is located at the junction of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia. It is one of the three counties along the Yellow River in Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. It is the place where the Yellow River and the Great Wall meet.
In recent years, the local government has continuously promoted ecological protection and restoration of the Yellow River wetland.
In 2023, Hequ County will advance the Yellow River wetland ecological protection and restoration project in an orderly manner, promote the remediation of environmental pollution along the Yellow River, clean up 73,000 cubic meters of garbage and solid waste, renovate 147 scattered sewage discharge outlets, and restore a total of 2,004.5 acres of greening, creating a The green ecological corridor builds a green barrier to the Yellow River.
In addition, Hequ has opened up the north-south channel of the county and implemented rainwater and sewage diversion improvements, allowing 90,000 county residents to coexist harmoniously and harmoniously with the Yellow River, creating an "ecologically livable and beautiful small town on the edge of the Yellow River."
The "Swan Lake" in the meander of the river is the epitome of Shanxi Province's ecological management and protection of the Yellow River Basin in recent years.
Today, the "Swan Lake" on the bank of the Yellow River has become a vivid scene in many places in Shanxi.
Recently, in Pinglu County, Yuncheng City, the "Hometown of China's Whooper Swans" located at the southernmost tip of Shanxi Province, nearly 10,000 overwintering whooper swans are returning north to Siberia from the local Yellow River wetland.
In the early 1980s, whooper swans were seen wintering in Pinglu for the first time.
Over the years, the local area has promoted continuous improvement of the ecological environment. In the past 40 years, the number of whooper swans wintering in the Pinglu Yellow River Wetland has increased from a dozen at the beginning to tens of thousands today.
In addition, the tidal flats and waters along the Yellow River in Ruicheng County, Xiaxian County, Yongji City and other places in Yuncheng City are also the main wintering resting places for whooper swans in northern China.
In recent years, Shanxi has continued to promote ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. The ecological environment of the Yellow River wetland has continued to improve, attracting wild animals such as black storks and red-crowned cranes to come to Shanxi.
Data from the Wildlife Protection Division of the Shanxi Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau in December 2023 show that there are 541 species of terrestrial vertebrate wild animals in Shanxi, including 25 species of national first-level protected wild animals and 85 species of national second-level protected wild animals.
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