Growing number, variety of migratory birds reflect China’s continuous efforts in wetland protection

Wetlands across China are attracting more and more migratory birds as winter descends upon the landscape, thanks to the country’s continuous preservation efforts in recent years.

Photo shows migratory birds at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo/Wen Xu)

The Caohai National Nature Reserve, located in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China's Guizhou Province, has seen over 50,000 migratory birds as of Nov. 10, including endangered black-necked cranes, grey cranes, bar-headed geese, and egrets. Caohai Lake located in the reserve is a major wetland in southwest China.

The first batch of migratory birds arrived nine days earlier than usual, and the reserve has seen increasing larger flocks and increasingly varied species of birds each and every day, according to a staff member working at the reserve’s administration bureau. Bird rangers patrol the reserve every day to guarantee the food supply of migratory birds.

As one of the biggest wintering habitats for black-necked cranes, the nature reserve has witnessed an increasing number of bird species in recent years. It is now home to 246 species of birds, compared to 203 in 2005.

Photo shows a wetland at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo/Wen Xu)

Over the past five years, Guizhou Province invested 4.08 billion yuan (about $638 million) to restore and protect its wetland resources. Nearly 54 percent of the province’s wetland areas were under protection as of 2020. So far, Guizhou is home to 53 wetland parks, which provide habitats for 24,547 known species.

Similarly, the Poyang Lake national wetland park in east China's Jiangxi Province has seen more than 38,000 migratory birds this winter to date, including rare species such as black storks, a migratory bird species under first-class protection in China. Meanwhile, droves of migratory birds have made stopovers at the Ruoergai National Wetland Park in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Official data has shown that China is home to over 53.3 million hectares of wetland areas, ranking first in Asia and fourth in the world.