Recently, the Research Department of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) has received reports from volunteers in Changzhou City, Hebei Province that large areas of wetland in the Haixing Wetland and Bird Provincial Nature Reserve are dried up with a small amount of water in the core area. The living condition of local birds has been considerably influenced. Volunteers say that in previous years, local farmers contracted to breed in the Reserve made investments and ensured the wetland to be replenished with water in spring. But since the government has withdrawn the contracting rights last year, large areas of wetland in the Reserve have dried up.
Haixing Wetland serves as an important stop as well as a wintering habitat for migratory birds including oriental white stork, white-naped crane, and grey crane thanks to its unique geographic location, diverse ecological systems, and rich food resources. It is calculated that there are 146 tracheophytes and 237 bird species in the Reserve, 121 of which are migratory birds.
Water is the source of life. According to the on-the-spot investigation by volunteers, numerous creatures including fish, plant, and microorganism die off, leading to the subsequent great loss of food resources for birds, shrinking species diversity, broken food chain, and nearly corrupted regional eco-system.
After contacting the relevant municipal department, CBCGDF volunteers have been informed that the local government will be responsible for this issue. However, at press time, they have not got an explicit official reply yet. Wetland is hailed as the kidney of the earth, with irreplaceable ecological function. Volunteers hope Hebei provincial forestry and grassland administration and relevant local departments to fully realize the outcome incurred by wetland destruction and take instant ecological actions to replenish water, thus ensuring a livable home for birds.
(Photo credit: CBCGDF volunteers)
Original Chinese article:
http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/12295.html
By / Wang Yanqing