The distribution of wetlands in China in 2022 indicates that HD is coming soon. This "China Wetland Travel Guide" can be read.

1, Wetland Science Popularization This China wetland is still very popular some time ago, so as a traveler, you must visit the China wetland, so where are all the wetlands in China? Is there a schematic diagram of it? Let's analyze the high-definition big picture for everyone.

Wetlands refer to natural or artificial, perennial or seasonal waterlogged areas and waters with significant ecological functions, including waters with a water depth of less than six meters at low tide (except paddy fields and artificial waters and beaches used for aquaculture). Wetland is also called "kidney of the earth" because of its powerful ability to purify water, eliminate pollution and accept dirt. In addition, wetlands also play an important role in enriching species diversity, improving local climate and regulating water cycle.

On the vast territory of China, the total wetland area accounts for 56,349,300 square hectares. As a well-deserved wetland country, China has an important responsibility in wetland ecological protection. From 65438 to 0992, China joined the Convention on Wetlands, and seven wetlands in China were listed in the List of Internationally Important Wetlands. Up to now, the number of wetlands listed in China has increased to 64.

Schematic diagram of the distribution of internationally important wetlands and nationally important wetlands in China. Source/National Wetland Protection Plan (2022-2030) On the road of wetland protection, China has been working hard. Behind this list of wetland protection is China's efforts in wetland protection and environmental management.

Footprints of the last step. What achievements has China made in wetland protection in the past 30 years? Open this "China Wetland Picture Book" and embark on this wetland trip together!

Wetland distribution map of China. Cartography/Citrus Pomelo II. Main wetland Shenhu wetland

Let's go.

The starting point of this wetland trip should naturally be the host of this conference, Wuhan, which is known as "the city of thousands of businesses and the city of hundreds of lakes". Wuhan, which has always given people a heroic and simple impression, is actually a city surrounded by water, with rivers and lakes all over the country. It is not an exaggeration to call Wuhan "the city of 100 lakes", even a kind of modesty: in Wuhan, there are 166 lakes, 165 rivers and1620,000 hectares of wetlands. In order to protect these precious wetland resources, Wuhan has built 10 wetland parks and 5 nature reserves. 20 13 Hubei shenhu wetland nature reserve, which was listed in the list of internationally important wetlands, is one of them.

Shenhu Wetland, located in the southwest of caidian district, Wuhan, in the triangle where the Yangtze River meets the Han River, is a rare typical freshwater lake swamp wetland in the same latitude on the earth and the nearest freshwater wetland to a big city in China. The area where Shenhu Lake is located has flat terrain and rivers meet. Once the river overflows, it will be deposited here. Over time, it will become a vast wetland of more than 10,000 hectares.

Because it is located on the migratory route of migratory birds from East Asia to Australia, and its latitude is unique, Shenhu Wetland has become the only "luxury hotel" for migratory birds to travel from south to north. Here, you can not only see the "fairy mountain" red-crowned crane stepping on the clouds in Chinese paintings, but also see rare birds such as the grey-breasted bamboo chicken and the spotted-backed big-tailed warbler. By the end of 20021year, the bird list of Shenhu Lake included 27 wild birds1species, belonging to 20 orders and 55 families, including 63 species of national key protected birds.

However, such a bird paradise was once depressed. From 1950s to the end of 1980s, water conservancy projects such as Dujiatai flood diversion sluice and Shenhu sluice were built in Shenhu area, which blocked the connection between Shenhu and Hanjiang River. This directly affects the survival of migratory fish that originally lived in the sunken lake area. Moreover, because Shenhu Wetland is close to human settlements, the threat of human activities such as reclamation and purse seine farming is particularly obvious. At that time, people's awareness of wetland protection was not enough, and relevant laws and regulations and protection funds were also scarce. In recent 50 years, Shenhu Wetland once retreated from north to south, and the wetland area shrank by 76.76%.

In order to protect this bird-waiting paradise, in 2005, the financial departments of Hubei Province and the city started special funds for the construction of Shenhu wetland and began to gradually restore the Shenhu ecology. 20 13, Shenhu Wetland was selected into the list of internationally important wetlands. Today's Shenhu, birds have gathered again, and the land originally enclosed as farmland and aquaculture has returned to the waters. The beautiful Shenzhen-Shanghai wetland is not only a good place for Wuhan citizens to have a holiday and relax, but also a "holy land" for bird lovers all over the world. The harmonious coexistence between people and migratory birds and between people and nature is the most beautiful picture of Shenhu today.

Distribution map of lakes and wetlands. Cartography/Citrus Pomelo Literature: Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake

If we say which wetland is the most prominent in the history of China literature, Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake will definitely compete for three days and three nights. You have Meng Haoran's "Here in August, the lake is full of water and sky" and I have Su Shi's "Poyang Lake is full of lights"; You have the story of Yueyang Tower, which says "Looking at the beautiful scenery of Baling in Dongting Lake", and I have the preface to Wang Tengting, which says "The sunset is lonely in Qi Fei, and the sky is the same as autumn water." . 1992, these two "great heroes" in the history of literature joined hands to be selected as the first batch of internationally important wetlands.

Not only the literary status is similar, but also the natural conditions of these two lakes are quite similar. The first is the area. Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake are alternately listed as the largest freshwater lakes in China, and both are well-deserved "big lakes". Secondly, it is geographical location, both of which are located on the south bank of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and in the subtropical humid monsoon climate zone near 30 north latitude. Finally, topography, both of which are lakes formed in basins surrounded by mountains, belongs to hilly areas where red soil is distributed. There are so many similarities that it is no exaggeration to call them "twin brothers" on the south bank of the Yangtze River.

Although they can almost be regarded as "twin brothers", the two lakes also have their own characteristics, which have also caused different difficulties in their respective development.

Dongting Lake, called Yunmengze in ancient times, is located on the south bank of Jingjiang River in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. It is connected to the water in Songzi, Taiping, ouchi, Diaoxian and other places of the Yangtze River in the north, and to the small tributaries of Hunan, Zizi, Yuan, Li and Miluo River in the south and west. Only one Dongting Lake needs to withstand the excessive floods of the Yangtze River and the rivers of Hunan, Guizhou and Yuan, and the average runoff into the lake for many years is five times that of the Yellow River. Therefore, in the development history of Dongting Lake, flood disaster has always been a big problem that puzzles people. Along with the flood, a large amount of sediment has been deposited at the bottom of the lake for many years, which is also eroding the area of the lake area. Coupled with the influence of human activities around, Dongting Lake, once called "besieged Yueyang" in poetry, is divided into three parts: west, south and east, which are connected only by spillway.

Overlooking Yueyang Tower and Dongting Lake, the picture comes from Poyang Lake, vision china, which was called Pengze in ancient times and is located in the north of Jiangxi Province. It is now the largest freshwater lake in China and the second largest lake in China besides Qinghai Lake. However, these "biggest" titles of Poyang Lake are actually a bit "not worthy of the name". Because Poyang Lake is a seasonal lake, although there are water sources such as Ganjiang, Hexiu, Xinjiang, Raohe and Fuhe, it mainly relies on the Yangtze River for water supply. Wang Yang is flooded in flood season, but only a beach is left in dry season, even covered with weeds one person high, which makes people mistakenly think that they have entered the northern prairie.

It is precisely because of the "one drought and one flood" characteristics of Poyang Lake that the lake area is more easily eroded by farmland. Coupled with the increase of water conservancy facilities on the main stream of the Yangtze River, the number of rivers that can reach Poyang Lake in flood season is also decreasing, further accelerating the shrinking of the lake area. And these new water conservancy facilities, after all, can not completely eliminate the harm of floods. In the event of a catastrophic flood, the area of Poyang Lake, which was originally used to undertake the Yangtze River flood, has shrunk, and the river with no way out can only continue to flow downstream, eventually endangering the downstream areas.

With the gradual deepening of the understanding of natural ecology, the protection of the two lakes has been paid more and more attention. From 65438 to 0985, Jiangxi Province began to organically combine the management of mountains, rivers and lakes with the management of poverty, and gradually restored the ecology of Poyang Lake basin. From 65438 to 0992, East Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake were included in the list of internationally important wetlands. 1993, Dongting Lake has been included in the national planning for harnessing great rivers and lakes. In 2002, South Dongting Lake and West Dongting Lake Nature Reserves were included in the list of internationally important wetlands. Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, a pair of "Shuang Bao" once embedded in the long river of literature, are gradually recovering the glory that once gave birth to countless romances and dreams.

Pearl of Plateau: Qinghai Lake

After talking about the largest freshwater lake, we moved our sight all the way west to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Qinghai Lake is the largest inland lake and the largest saltwater lake in China, and it is a blue pearl embedded in the vast plateau. 200-200 million years ago, Qinghai Lake was formed by geological structural faults. At first, it was an outflow freshwater lake connected with the Yellow River. Later, due to various geological activities, the connection between Qinghai Lake and the Yellow River was blocked. After millions of years of evaporation and deposition, the salt content of Qinghai Lake has been increasing, and finally a large lake with a water area of 4310.7 million hectares has been formed.

Perhaps only when you really come to Qinghai Lake can you understand the meaning of "sea" in this name. Blue lake, white beach, birds passing overhead from time to time. If it weren't for the cold weather on the plateau, you might even wonder whether you are in the depths of the plateau or on the beautiful seashore.

The picture of birds flying over the surface of Qinghai Lake comes from vision china. These birds flying overhead from time to time are one of the precious treasures of Qinghai Lake. If you look for Qinghai Lake in the list of internationally important wetlands, you will be surprised, because the name "Qinghai Lake" does not appear in the list, but you can find a wetland called "Bird Island" in the list. In fact, this "Bird Island" listed in the list of internationally important wetlands at 1992 is just two small islands in the northwest corner of the vast Qinghai Lake. It is called "Haixi Mountain" in the west and "Haixipi" in the east, with an area of only 80 hectares. Although the area is small (compared with Qinghai Lake), these two small islands are important settlements for many migratory birds from the South China Sea and even the Indian Ocean, and some migratory birds from the north also winter here. The number of migratory birds who come here temporarily can be seen from the alias "Egg Island" of "Haixi Mountain". Because every time migratory birds breed, eggs can be densely covered all over the island, so it is named. Another "Haixipi" is nicknamed "Cormorant Island". There are hundreds of thousands of waterbirds living in the whole waters of Qinghai Lake, with a total of 189 species, belonging to 15 orders and 35 families. It is a veritable "Bird Museum".

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Once upon a time, Qinghai Lake was also faced with the crisis of water inflow and water area reduction. With the warming of climate, the increase of mountain meltwater, and people's efforts to save water and protect the ecology of the lake area, Qinghai Lake has increased the amount of water equivalent to 100 West Lake in the past 16 years. Like Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, Qinghai Lake is gradually recovering its historical glory.

For most tourists, the biggest concern when visiting Qinghai Lake is its high altitude. In fact, although it is on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the elevation of the lake area of Qinghai Lake is only 3 1.93m, which is relatively low. But in Qinghai Lake, some measures should be taken to prevent high rebellion. self-driving tours

Passengers, prepare enough anti-drugs and oxygen cylinders if necessary. After arriving at the scenic spot, don't be in the blue sky and clear water.

Under the temptation of running, taking pictures and doing aerobic exercise. The best way to appreciate Qinghai Lake is to breathe with heaven and earth in the tranquility of nature and feel its beauty quietly.

wetland

After returning from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, we went to Zhalong Wetland, which is a fairyland between the white mountains and the black waters in The Journey to the West.

Distribution map of swamps and wetlands. Cartography/Orange Pomelo If Zhalong Wetland has any characteristics, it is "big". Zhalong Wetland, with a total area of 2 1 1,000 hectares, is the first wetland in Asia, the fourth wetland in the world and the largest reed wetland in the world. Unlike the wetland mentioned above, which can be called "lake", Zhalong wetland is also called Zhalong Lake, but the lake area is only 360 hectares, and more areas are permanent swamp wetlands.

The formation of Zhalong Wetland is inseparable from Wuyuer River and Shuangyang River. These two rivers originated in the western foot of Xiaoxing 'an Mountains, flowed out of the hilly area and entered the Songnen Plain, where they lost the shackles of rivers and flooded. The Songnen Plain is surrounded by mountains, which is actually more like a large basin. The cold northeast climate has created a deep frozen soil layer, adding a thick bottom to this water-filled great basin. In such a natural "water storage basin", abundant water resources nourish lush aquatic plants such as reeds and become the natural home of birds belonging to the north.

Reed in Zhalong Wetland. Source/Documentary "China Wetland" Screenshot In Zhalong, the most important bird is the red-crowned crane. As the largest breeding base of red-crowned cranes in the world, there are about 2,000 wild red-crowned cranes in the world, including 300 Zhalong, and there are semi-free-range populations artificially bred. Just as you must go to Sichuan to see giant pandas, you must also come to Zhalong to see red-crowned cranes. In addition to the red-crowned crane, Zhalong Wetland also has a variety of cranes, such as Bai Zhenhe, White Crane and Batian Crane. There are 15 species of cranes in the world, and 6 species can be seen in Zhalong. I'm afraid even ancient immortals have to stay in Zhalong for a while before they can choose a satisfactory "car".

However, such a "hometown of cranes" is also facing threats. With the continuous development of Songnen Plain, Zhalong Wetland is seriously short of water for a long time. At the worst, the wetland water area in the core area is less than 65438+100000 hectares, which is reduced by 20 times. Although we began to protect the precious birds in Zhalong Wetland from 1976, we lack understanding of the water resources and ecological protection of the wetland itself.

Due to the lack of water, lush aquatic plants have also changed from the home of birds to hell. From August, 20065438 to June, 10, a large-scale yellow fire broke out in Zhalong Wetland, burning more than 50% of reeds in the core area of the reserve. After that, Zhalong Wetland caught fire many times. The severe ecological protection situation forces people to change their ideas. 200 1, Qiqihar Yin Zhong management office began to replenish water to Zhalong wetland, which opened the first example of artificial water replenishment in wetland reserves in China. In 2009, Zhalong Wetland established a long-term water replenishment mechanism. Thanks to people's unremitting efforts, the reeds that were once destroyed by the fire have been quickly restored, and the ecological environment of Zhalong Wetland is constantly improving. Now Zhalong has once again become a paradise for birds.

As an undoubted bird-watching resort, the biggest feature of Zhalong Wetland is that groups of red-crowned cranes can be seen in snowy days. Wild red-crowned cranes are migratory birds. Generally, they go north and northeast to breed offspring in spring and migrate south to warm places for winter in autumn. Zhalong wetland is the breeding base of red-crowned cranes. Even in winter, there are hundreds of artificially bred red-crowned cranes. White snow, black feathers, red coat, such a faint picture, is not only the memory of Chinese painting engraved in the bone marrow of our culture, but also the beauty created by nature and human beings.

Mangrove wetland

Do wetlands have to be full of water? Not exactly. Among the aforementioned wetlands, we saw meadow wetlands, reed wetlands and so on. What's it like to say that trees can grow in water?

Mangrove wetland distribution map. Cartography/Orange Pomelo In some coastal wetlands in southern China, we can see this scene of "trees grow in water". This kind of tree that can grow in water is called mangrove. It can grow into a very tall tree in Southeast Asia, but in China, because of the climate, most of them are relatively low. For most plants, seawater with high salt content, marshes with high water content and seawater from high tide are all warnings that they are not suitable for growth, but mangroves can cope.

Its trunk often does not grow indefinitely, but will first grow many supporting roots and plunge them into the soil to maintain its stability. In order to ensure that oxygen can be obtained in shallow marshes, mangroves will also grow some breathing roots protruding from the ground. In order to grow in salt water, mangroves have evolved salt excretion glands, which can absorb salt and excrete it. With these unique skills, mangroves have almost become the only "residents" in coastal swamp areas. Once they meet the right growing environment, they will multiply rapidly and form spectacular mangroves.

The existence of mangroves is very important for coastal areas. Their unique ability to discharge salt can effectively promote the purification of seawater; Strong roots can stabilize soil and water and prevent the coast from being attacked by seawater. Most importantly, they are the habitat of many seabirds. These seabirds live in mangroves, feed on mangroves and excrete feces to nourish the land. With the help of mangroves, many coastal saline-alkali land can be turned into fertile soil suitable for farming.

The mangrove map of Beilun estuary in Dongxing, Guangxi comes from the idea of ants, but the mangrove ecology is also very fragile. Historically, the mangrove area in China once reached 250,000 hectares, and decreased to 22,000 hectares from 200 1. The pollution of marine garbage and human activities that destroy cultivated land are the main culprits of destroying mangroves. In order to protect the only mangrove resources, a mangrove reserve has been established in the southern coastal area of China. In 2002, Guangxi Shankou Mangrove Nature Reserve and Guangdong Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve were included in the list of internationally important wetlands. In 2008, Fujian Zhangjiangkou Mangrove National Nature Reserve, Guangxi Beilun Hekou National Nature Reserve and Guangdong Haifeng Wetland were listed.

With the establishment of mangrove reserves, up to now, more than 55% of mangroves in China have been included in nature reserves, and the mangrove area in China has slowly recovered from 22,000 hectares to 2.7 hectares, making it one of the few countries in the world with a net increase in mangrove area.

Among many mangrove wetlands, Guangdong Haifeng Wetland is the most special one. This is a protected area without a red line. In the nature reserve, migratory birds live freely, and villagers generally farm. However, unlike other areas where farmland erodes wetlands, the farming and breeding of villagers here live in harmony with mangroves, and even provide a foraging environment for migratory birds.

3. What other wetlands are there?

In addition to the wetlands introduced before, there are many wetlands in this list, which are worth seeing-

Distribution map of other wetlands. Cartography/Origin of Citrus and Pomelo Civilization: Sanjiangyuan

There is no doubt that the importance of wetlands to the Chinese nation is the source of the Three Rivers. As the source of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River, it is known as the "Water Tower of China", and it is also one of the regions with the highest biodiversity at high altitude in the world. It is not only the source of life for the Chinese nation, but also a refuge for plateau creatures such as Tibetan antelope, wild yak, black-necked crane and snow leopard. In 2004, Erning Lake and Zhaling Lake in the source area of the Three Rivers were included in the list of internationally important wetlands.

Three rivers source. Source/Documentary "China Wetland" Screenshot City Back Garden: Xixi National Wetland Park

In Hangzhou, it's not just the West Lake.

Less than 5 kilometers away from the West Lake, there is a "Xixi Wetland". Under the good name of West Lake, Xixi Wetland often looks bleak. But in fact, when the West Lake in the center of the city has been unable to bear the heavy responsibility of ecological maintenance, Xixi Wetland stepped forward and took on the heavy responsibility of "the kidney of the city". In Xixi, there is no shortage of cultural relics. Xixi Shu Mei, Qiuxue Temple, Hong Zhong, and the "Aerial Range Rover" sightseeing helium balloon with modern flavor, which integrates the ancient and the modern, has a heavy history and modern convenience. In 2009, Zhejiang Xixi National Wetland Park was listed as an internationally important wetland. In the future, Xixi has infinite possibilities.

National Memory: Wetlands in the Old Course of the Yellow River for Civil Rights

As the "mother river" of the Chinese nation, the Yellow River in history is really not a "good temper". It has undergone seven diversions, and each diversion will leave a wetland on the original old road. The old wetland of the Yellow River in Quan Min, Henan Province is the legacy of many diversions of the Yellow River, and was listed in the list of internationally important wetlands in 2020.

In December (1232), in order to capture Guide House (now Shangqiu, Henan Province), the Mongolian army dug through the Yellow River and tried to attack the city with water. Although the Jin Dynasty finally perished, the flooded river also caused serious disasters to people on both sides of the strait. After a long period of flooding, in the eighth year of Hongzhi in Ming Dynasty (1495), Liu Daxia built Huanglinggang, redefining the course of the Yellow River. In the fifth year of Xianfeng in Qing Dynasty (1855), the Yellow River was flooded, and its breach occurred in Tongwa Chamber in Yanglan, Henan Province, ending the 700-year history of seizing the Huai River and entering the sea. This 700-year-old old course of the Yellow River has become a new wetland. Today, the old course of the Yellow River has been revived. In this green grass and clear water, you may still hear the tide of the Yellow River rushing for a hundred years.

After seeing so many beautiful wetlands, are you already eager to try? Might as well pick up a small notebook and plan a future trip to wetlands!

References:

[1], Hu Feng, Tan,. Ten thousand birds inhabit the Shenhu wetland, showing great vitality [J]. Land Greening, 2022(03):50-5 1.

Chen Jue, Lei Kun, Du Yao, Marten. Identification of the degradation process of Shenhu wetland in recent 50 years [J]. Geoscience, 202 1, 46 (02): 66 1-670.

[3] Guo Huidong. A comparative study of Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake [c] [c]/.2010 Dongting Lake Development Forum. [Publisher unknown], 20 10:256-263.

[4] The official website of Zhalong National Nature Reserve in Heilongjiang Province.

[5] The official website of People's Republic of China (PRC) Wetland Management Department.

Source: National Humanities and History.