After nearly a year’s experiment, researchers were surprised to find that the goals of the original project were basically achieved. The total investment of the whole project is 11.6 million RMB, and the experimental results are as follows: 1). Water quality purification has successfully maintained the ecological attribute of wetland water environment; 2). The increase of bird resources has realized the symbiosis of fish and birds. According to the data of bird island monitoring in the experimental area, in December 2018, more than 1,000 birds were monitored in the bird island area, while in December 2019, more than 10,000 birds were monitored in the area. In particular, there are 820 - 1,460 Oriental Storks that stay for a long time to forage, with a large increase compared with the past. On June 28th, the field monitoring data of bird island in the experimental area also showed that more than 800 bird nests and 1,200 bird eggs were found. There are also 10 species of birds, such as Kentish lover, Black-winged stilt, Pied avocet, common tern, Little tern, Sterna Caspia and Whiskered tern, which breed here. “Last autumn, I saw tens of thousands of cormorants gathered in the experimental area of the project. The scene is very spectacular, I have never seen such a scene before”, Wang Yingeng was impressed by the scene.

Wang Yingeng’s research team once evaluated the ecological value of the experimental project of Caofeidian wetland and believed that the total ecological value generated by the project could reach 57.7 million RMB in terms of water conservation and utilization value, carbon fixation value, scientific research, and cultural value, animal habitat value and wetland ecosystem value, respectively. At the same time, the economic value of the experimental project is also outstanding. After deducting the cost of human maintenance and leaving 20% of food rations for birds, they also harvested 194,200 Jin of Chinese white shrimp and tens of thousands of Jin of Brine shrimp, which provided the material and economic basis for the wetland project.

“We are satisfied with the effect of the experiment, and hope to promote it to the whole wetland of Caofeidian according to the idea of the management office.” Wang Yingeng said that 2020 is the second year of the implementation of the project plan. They will seriously sum up the work experience in 2019, strengthen the implementation of the plan, study the ecological technology and refine the ecological management, and strive to create a set of the wetland development path of "remove breeding ponds to conserve wetland", so as to set a model for the coastal wetland conservation in China.

In February this year, a joint expert group from Ramsar Convention, Beijing Normal University, China Academy of Forestry and other scientific research institutions reviewed the experimental project, and its acceptance opinions were as follows: the project created a wetland ecological maintenance system with Brine shrimp as the core, realized the double growth of water purification, water circulation, and bird population and quantity, and was the ecological maintenance of artificial wetland with saline-alkali land attributes, and explored a new way of protection and sustainable development.

Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/11828.html

By / Tongtong Modified / Maggie