Yancheng City in East China’s Jiangsu Province has created a dedicated stopover site for migratory birds over an area of 720 mu (48 hectares) amid trailblazing efforts to protect global biodiversity. 

This site is located in the Tiaozini area, which comprises several different wetland parks and reserves consolidated into Yancheng National Nature Reserve. It’s also located in the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf (Phase I), inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2019. At the time of high tide, the site separated by the embankment offer a safe haven for tens of thousands of migratory birds.   

It originated from joint efforts of the city and biodiversity conservation organizations in line with international approaches and ideas. Bird species have increased, with 65,000 birds spotted this year, up from 58,000 birds monitored last year, according to Dr. Jia Yifei from Center for East Asian-Australasian Flyway Studies, Beijing Forestry University. The number of the endangered Nordmann’s greenshank (Tringa guttifer) also increased, further showing the critical role of Tiaozini in the global biodiversity conservation. 

Yancheng’s wetland ecological renovation, a Nature-based Solution (NbS), was selected as one of 19 biodiversity initiatives recognized by the “100+ Biodiversity Positive Practices and Actions Around the World”, released amid the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). A total of 258 entries from 26 countries applied for the recognition.  

Yancheng will resolutely shoulder the responsibility of protecting and restoring ecosystem at the world heritage, and try its best to conserve the biodiversity, said Cao Lubao, Party chief of the city. The city will implement NbS practices and effectively strengthen the integrated governance of mountains, water, forests, fields, lakes and grasses. 

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