CHANGSHA/XINING, Nov 9(ABC): Yang Chunlin, a shutterbug in northwest China’s Qinghai Province, visits a wetland bordering the Yellow River every October to meet his long-acquainted friends: whooper swans. Yang is very happy to have seen the number of the swans surge to over 100 from 30-plus when he first came to the area. The wetland is located in Hualong Hui Autonomous County, where the Yellow River swirls and becomes gentle, and aquatic plants are abundant, creating a unique ecosystem.
“The wetland provides an ideal living environment for whooper swans. The beautiful ‘swan lake’ has become a place for photography lovers to linger,” Yang said. This aerial photo taken on July 18, 2020 shows a view of Buh River wetland at Qinghai Lake in northwest China’s Qinghai Province.
China’s wetlands conservation efforts have illustrated its genuine commitment to ensuring harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. During the ongoing 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14), held in Wuhan and Switzerland’s Geneva, China called for enhancing people’s well-being globally by leveraging the role of wetlands in promoting sustainable development, tackling climate change, protecting biodiversity, and delivering more benefits to people around the world. China has made relentless efforts in wetlands protection and restoration and witnessed remarkable progress over the past decade. China now boasts 56.35 million hectares of wetlands, including marshes, beaches and lakes, according to the latest land resource surveys.
