Discover beauty of biodiversity at coastal wetlands in E China's Jiangsu

Birds fly and deer roam at a wetland in Yancheng city, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo/Chen Rong)

The World Coastal Forum 2023 opened in Yancheng, a coastal city in east China's Jiangsu Province, on Sept. 25.

Having a coastline of 582 kilometers and 769,700 hectares of wetlands, Yancheng is a world wetland city and home to a natural site on the UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Four years ago, the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I), with the Tiaozini Wetland as its core area, were inscribed on the World Heritage List as a natural site.

As the largest coastal wetland boasting of the best ecological protection on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean and the Asian continental margin, the Tiaozini Wetland is an important hub on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway.

It is home to the milu deer, also known as Pere David's deer, and a haven for migratory birds. The beauty of biodiversity vividly showcases a modern scene of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

So far, the Tiaozini Wetland has recorded 412 bird species, including 21 wild species under national first-class protection and 71 wild species under national second-class protection.