As early as April 2017, under the guidance and advancement of Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, the Secretary General of CBCGDF, CBCGDF established "China Conservation Area for Wetland at Dongtai Tiaozini", focusing on the protection of the Tiaozini Wetland in Jiangsu Province.
In early summer of 2018, after receiving the application of the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai, Gulf of China to the World Natural Heritage Nomination List of IUCN, Dr. Zhou read the application straightaway and found the Tiaozini Wetland was not included in the range of the application and immediately decided to focus on the review. Upon completion of the reviewing report's response to IUCN, Dr. Zhou made it clear that the Tiaozini Wetland must be included in the application for the World Natural Heritage Nom List.
To advance this matter in a timely and effective manner, Dr. Zhou once again sent a letter to IUCN, requesting to participate in further relevant meetings and discussions, and suggested that the IUCN expert group should focus on the Tiaozini Wetland inspection when visiting China. On this basis, CBCGDF organized NGOs, experts and other people concerned with wetland protection, to discuss and further clarify the relevant viewpoints and issues, and asked Tiaozini Wetland to be included in the first phase of the World Natural Heritage Nom List content.
According to the situation at the time, Dr. Zhou has obtained a promise that the Tiaozini Wetland will be included in the second and third phases of the natural heritage nom. But Dr. Zhou believes that “Tiaozini is indeed one of the most important natural heritages along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai, and the purpose of the World Natural Heritage is precisely to 'save a natural landscape of outstanding universal value to humans all over the world'”, based on the importance of the Tiaozini Wetland and the urgency of protection, Dr. Zhou has always insisted that it should be placed in the first phase of the application for the World Natural Heritage Nom List.
At the United Nations’ important Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Zhou Jinfeng reiterated his point of view to the Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention, the CEO of the East Asian-Autralasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), and the Chinese delegation, and stated clearly on the CBCGDF platforms, never give up without adding Tiaozini Wetland to the first phase of the nomination (See details: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzAxOTExMzM4Mg==&mid=2649615125&idx=2&sn=5c2cf398d9fece540831cd2ef6854e5a&chksm=83d2bfdcb4a536ca41c9a5c8f96ace1dce4118b99a6f361a4cc6346d05a714b74c9838fda6ad&scene=21#wechat_redirect). Later after that, CBCGDF received words from relevant parties, promised to include the Tiaozini Wetland in the first phase of the nomination application, and asked CBCGDF not to continue to “messing around” at the Ramsar meeting.
Now, we finally see that the Tiaozini Wetland has been successfully added to the first phase of the World Natural Heritage Nomination List application! On November 17, Yancheng City Acting Mayor Cao Lubao announced at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Yellow Sea-Bohai Wetland Yancheng International Conference: “Enlarge the range of protection at the municipal level, and include the Tiaozini, Gaoni and Dongsha areas in the range of the World Natural Heritage Nomination List."
CBCGDF's efforts have yielded good results, and the habitat of more than 200 species of migratory water birds, including the world's critically endangered migratory bird spoon-billed sandpiper, is expected to be further protected!
(Photo courtesy: Li Dongming)
(Photo courtesy: Fan Zhiyong, WWF Chief Scientist)
Original Chinese article:
http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/6787.html
By / Niu Jingmei, Shuya