The Coast of Yellow Sea- Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) in Yancheng was included in the World Heritage List at the 43rd World Heritage Conference in July 2019, becoming the second intertidal wetland heritage in the world the first natural heritage of Jiangsu Province.

However, the good times are not long, and the ecological environment of the wetlands is deteriorating. The cause of the problem is the explosive growth of shrimp sheds for cultivating Pacific white shrimp and the disorderly management of shrimp sheds by the local government.

The breeding of Pacific white shrimp was once widely promoted as a special breeding project in the coastal area of Nantong, However, due to the need to add a large amount of salt-rich additives during the cultivation process, after the pond water is discharged, it is easy to change the physical and chemical conditions of the original land, causing the original water and soil to be damaged.

In June 2019, the relevant government departments of Dongtai City jointly issued a notice on the ban on the cultivation of Pacific white shrimp and the dismantling of facilities. The farmers of Pacific white shrimp are required to demolish the illegally constructed facilities by July 15, 2019, to stop the breeding behavior, "overdue will organize the relevant departments to compulsory disposal."

However, volunteers visited on April 6, 2020, and found that the number of shrimp sheds in the Qionggang area has continued to increase, and the area is getting larger and larger, which is close to 10,000 mu. At the same time, in order to better the effect of breeding, privately stealing groundwater activities are becoming more and more rampant.

This behavior will definitely cause great damage to the local ecological environment, and then threaten all kinds of creatures living in the wetland, resulting in the decline of biodiversity. Therefore, the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) Research Department invites the relevant departments of Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province to attach great importance to the practice of "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", quickly rectify the cultivation of Pacific white shrimp in the area, and take continuous and effective measures to restore the local natural ecological environment as soon as possible and return a suitable habitat for migratory birds.

(Photo credit: CBCGDF volunteer)

Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/12609.html

By / Wang Yanqing Modified / Maggie