Dongying: In the stillness of a misty morning, veteran bird watcher Zhou Kaixu held his breath as he scanned the vast stretch of wetland from his vantage point in the watchtower. With his binoculars in hand, he eagerly participated in a bird-watching contest. “Look, is that a red-breasted goose?” Zhou let out a cry of surprise. In the distance, a bird distinguished by dark brown head, neck, and white-spotted eyes and beak is foraging in the water among a flock of geese and ducks.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the red-breasted goose belongs to an internationally recognized endangered species. It was spotted for the first time a month ago at the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, located in Dongying City, east China’s Shandong province. The bird, whose main breeding ground is in the Arctic tundra in northern Eurasia, is rarely spotted on the Chinese mainland.
By spotting the red-breasted goose, Zhou and his team won an award at the competition during the second Yellow River estuary international
bird-watching season, which took place from Tuesday to Thursday. The first prize was awarded to another team that identified 118 species of birds within the premises of the reserve over a 36-hour period. The bird-watching season kicked off with the competition and will continue until January of next year.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the bird-watching season, Solene Le Doze, technical adviser at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, emphasized the importance of protecting nature at the local level with all relevant stakeholders to achieve a sustainable future.
The Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve stretches for about 153,000 hectares, with wetlands making up more than 70 percent of its total area. It is an important wintering and stopover site for migratory birds. Of the nine major flyways around the globe, the East Asian-Australasian flyway and the West Pacific flyway pass through the reserve.
The number of bird species in the natural rese
rve has increased from 187 in 1992 to 374 today, making it a renowned “international airport for migratory birds” and a key area for their protection. The rising number of wild birds in the reserve has become a boon for birdwatchers, who can even spot oriental storks and other wild birds from outside the reserve.
In July, at the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, the “Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase II)” was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which recognizes the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve as a World Heritage site.
Speaking of the role played by the nature reserve on migratory bird protection, Jennifer George, chief executive of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, expressed the significance of the reserve for New Zealand’s bar-tailed godwit birds, which rely on the region’s resources during their migration.
Meanwhile, China’s contribution to global nature conservation efforts was endorsed at th
e opening ceremony. Solene Le Doze highlighted China’s efforts, noting the establishment of over 11,000 protected natural areas and the ambitious plan to create the world’s largest national park system by 2035.
However, she also noted the alarming rate of global biodiversity loss, with approximately 1,400 bird species currently threatened due to habitat loss, human activities, and climate change. In June, China developed its first national-level conservation action plan focusing on four migratory bird flyways. The China Action Plan on Migratory Bird Flyway Conservation and Restoration (2024-2030) aims to enhance cross-departmental cooperation for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats.
