Dongying helps protect, develop Yellow River Basin

The coastal city of Dongying in East China's Shandong province – which is situated where the Yellow River flows into the Bohai Sea – has made significant progress in preserving the wetland ecology and biodiversity of the Yellow River Basin.

The increasing number of Oriental white storks shows that the ecological systems are getting better, said Zhao Yajie, deputy director of the monitoring center of the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve. She said that this was due to the species having extremely high requirements for ecosystem and environment.

The Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, which was founded in 1992, stretches about 153,000 hectares and has earned itself the nickname of being an "international airport for avian species".

In recent years, it has seen a significant increase in both the variety and number of bird species through the local government's efforts. In fact, the number of bird species has risen from 187 in 1992 to 373 in 2023.

A state-of-the-art ecological monitoring center for the Yellow River Delta has been established to manage data related to meteorology, water quality, soil and marine life.

According to Zhao, spring is a critical period for the breeding of Oriental white storks. If monitoring reveals insufficient food in the wetlands, methods such as artificial breeding are taken to ensure the healthy growth of the chicks.

To date, the reserve has set up a total of 35 bird monitoring sites and 49 wetland monitoring sites. This year, the reserve plans to establish 107 monitoring sites to achieve full coverage of monitoring within the area.

Additionally, an unmanned aerial vehicle automatic patrol system will be set up to enhance protection and supervision capabilities.

The local government has teamed up with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to tackle Spartina alterniflora, a smooth type of marsh cordgrass spreading wildly on the estuary coastline and seriously threatening the habitats of species.

Currently, the city is working on establishing a Yellow River estuary national park, to help preserve wetlands and biodiversity in the Yellow River Delta region. It's expected to become the first in the country to boast land and marine areas.