Zhang River valley National Wetland Park is located in the low mountain area at the east foot of Taihang Mountain, with a total length of 18 kilometers, a total planning area of 646.38 hectares, and the wetland rate is 35.48%. It is an important middle route for migrating birds from East Asia to Australia. In 2013, this area applied for the establishment of a National Wetland Park, but in 2016, the wetland park was destroyed by floods. In December 2019, Zhanghe River valley National Wetland Park in Anyang, Henan Province formally passed the pilot acceptance of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, becoming the National Wetland Park.
The wetland park is mainly built on both sides of the Zhang River valley, which is divided into Anyang, Henan Province and Handan, Hebei Province in terms of administrative area. Before that, under the impact of flood for many years, the river valleys on both sides were full of large stones, shaping a unique riverside wetland landscape. However, it was observed by the volunteers of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) that sand and stone mining began to occur on the side of Handan, Hebei Province around 2011, and it still hasn't stopped until now. As a result, the river valley has become flat after years of mining, and the original natural riverside landscape has disappeared. In this section of National Wetland Park, the "one river, two governance" on both sides of the Zhang River forms a very different landscape contrast. When can the same river and the same national wetland park be protected together?
This is the field survey sent by the volunteers of the CBCGDF as below.
On July 3, 2019, the Google map of Anyang Zhanghe River Valley National Wetland Park shows that the riverway on one side of Anyang Duli town is a beautiful ecological island, and it can be seen that there is water in the riverway. On the other side, it is dirty, which seems to have been damaged by human beings, and looks desolate. Zhang River is the boundary river between Anyang and Handan. The Duli section of Zhanghe River is an important station on the international migration corridor of migratory birds from Australia to Northeast Asia. During the migration season every year, there are many migratory birds here that can block the river channel. So, what's going on here?
On December 31, 2019, environmental protection volunteers of CBCGDF found on the bank of Zhanghe River that on the side of Duli town in Anyang is in order, and the ecological island in the river channel is still beautiful. On the other side of the river, Handan, Hebei Province, sand and stone mining on both sides of the Zhang River, there is an obvious contrast. Tourists who don't know the truth think that Anyang is establishing the wetland park.
Along the Zhanghe River, volunteers found more engineering vehicles and several such excavators. There used to be a large number of scattered stones on the edge of Zhanghe River, shaping a natural wetland, but now they are smashed by large construction machinery and become building materials. As a result, the riverway on the side of Handan is damaged, and the original natural river wetland style is gone. In 2013, the construction of a national wetland park was started on one side of Duli Town, Anyang, while the development of wetland tourism was not carried out on the Handan side. Instead, stone quarrying and sand mining have been done on the Zhanghe River for many years.
It is found that there are still many heavy-duty engineering vehicles that were loaded with sands and stones, and various engineering vehicles can be seen continuously throughout the riverway. Article 11 of the administrative measures of the National Wetland Park stipulates that the National Wetland Park shall be divided into conservation areas. According to the natural conditions and management needs, it can be divided into restoration and reconstruction areas, reasonable utilization areas, and implementation of district management. In addition to necessary protection and management activities such as monitoring and scientific research, no other activities unrelated to wetland ecosystem protection and management are allowed to carry out in the conservation area. The restoration, reconstruction, and reasonable utilization can also not damage the wetland ecosystem, and Handan’s behavior, which obviously violated this provision.
This is the stone after mining. It's piled up like a mountain. Without the natural large stone, the rivers on the side of Handan are now relatively flat. These pictures show that Anyang is protecting the ecology of wetland, while Handan is destroying the ecology. A news report on June 2, 2019, was found on the volunteer network of CBCGDF, with the title of "Notice of General Office of Handan Municipal People's Government on printing and distributing the implementation plan of sand mining and regulation of Handan River". However, it seems that Handan did not seriously implement the spirit of this notice in Zhanghe valley.
This is a black stork population photographed that day. Because of the interference of sand mining and stone quarrying, the black storks who moved here stood on the riprap of the river in fear and could not find food. The black stork is a national first-class protected animal. This national wetland park is an important habitat for the black stork and mandarin duck. In recent years, part of the black stork population has no longer migrating. At present, the volunteers of CBCGDF are trying to declare the Zhang River valley in Duli Town, Anyang as "China Conservation Area for black stork at Duli. They hope to promote the protection of all wild animals and plants and wetland ecology in the area by protecting black stork.
After leaving the downstream of the Wetland Park, volunteers of CBCGDF arrived at the upstream of the wetland park and found that the ecological damage is serious.
In this regard, the CBCGDF think that: in order to protect the black stork population and river wetland ecology in Zhanghe River Valley National Wetland Park, as well as to provide a quiet environment and sufficient food resources for many migratory birds, Anyang City and Handan City should change this phenomenon as soon as possible, and accelerate the construction of species monitoring and protection information sharing and regional linkage protection mechanism, promote cross-regional and basin ecological protection, strengthen the regional law enforcement, and jointly protect the unique wetland ecosystem of Zhanghe river.
(Photo credit: CBCGDF volunteers)
Original Chinese article:
http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/10981.html
By / Li Xue