Jilin Niuxin Tuobao National Wetland Park

Jilin Niuxin Tuobao National Wetland Park

Jilin Niuxin Tuobao National Wetland Park is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, a national water conservancy scenic area, and a national wetland park.

Jilin Niuxin Tuobao National Wetland Park is situated in the western part of Dagangzi Town, Da’an City, Jilin Province, on the banks of the Huolin River, more than 100 kilometers from downtown Da’an. It neighbors Bamian Township of Tongyu County to the south, borders Erlong Township of Taonan City to the west, and lies adjacent to the renowned Jiangjiadian Grassland of Da’an City to the north. The park is located within the Niuxin Tuobao Reed Farm, with geographic coordinates at 45°14′ north latitude and 123°21′ east longitude. Covering a total area of 4,200 hectares, it is a protected area of the inland wetland ecosystem type.

Jilin Niuxin Tuobao National Wetland Park is known for its diverse habitats, vast expanse, and rich biodiversity. The main types of wetlands in the park include marshes, marshy meadows, salt marshes, lake wetlands, and artificial wetlands. With a total area of 4,200 hectares, the park features various wetlands such as reed marshes, lakes, and marshy meadows, covering an area of 3,319.8 hectares, resulting in a wetland coverage rate of 79.0%. This far exceeds the national standard of no less than 30% for wetland parks, and the diversity of wetland types is also notable. The park boasts abundant wildlife resources, including 239 plant species from 39 families and 132 genera, as well as 164 animal species comprising 25 mammals, 5 amphibians, 5 reptiles, 109 birds, and 22 fish. Among them, 15 bird species are listed in the National Key Protected Wildlife List, including 3 Class I protected species—Red-crowned Crane, Oriental White Stork, and Great Bustard—and 13 Class II protected species such as Whooper Swan, Mandarin Duck, Common Crane, birds of prey from the Falconiformes and Strigiformes orders. Additionally, most other wildlife in the park are included in the National List of Terrestrial Wildlife Beneficial or of Important Economic and Scientific Value, such as Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Bean Goose, and Greater White-fronted Goose. The total project area covers 4,200 hectares, with wetlands spanning 3,319.8 hectares, accounting for 79.0% of the total land area. Reed marsh wetlands alone make up 78.3% of the total wetland area. There are also small distributions of marshy meadows and salt marshes, and the Niuxin Tuobao Lake Wetland area spans 100 hectares. The interplay of marshes, lakes, sand dunes, and grasslands creates a primitive and unique wetland landscape.

Since its establishment, Jilin Niuxin Tuobao National Wetland Park has significantly strengthened its infrastructure. With a total investment of 80.774 million yuan, the park has developed ecological protection projects, ecological restoration projects, science education and publicity projects, scientific research and monitoring projects, rational utilization projects, disaster prevention projects, capacity-building for protection management, and infrastructure construction projects. Facilities such as an agritainment fruit-picking area, Couple Elm Trees, observation decks, Reed Alleyways, educational corridors, Songnen Wetland Botanical Garden, viewing platforms, fishing gardens, and boardwalks have been constructed, greatly improving the park’s appearance. Publicity and education efforts have also been enhanced. To raise the park’s profile and increase environmental awareness among local communities, the reserve has utilized various methods including radio, television, newspapers, published books and picture albums, TV dramas, feature films, summer camps, and Bird-Loving Week activities to conduct extensive and in-depth educational campaigns.

Jilin Niuxin Tuobao National Wetland Park is a treasure of nature, a natural reservoir and gene bank of wetland resources, a living museum that helps people understand nature and strengthen their awareness of wetland environmental protection, as well as a natural laboratory for the study and teaching of wetland ecosystems. The park features numerous ponds and marshes scattered across its landscape, with good water quality and lush, vibrant wetland vegetation, contributing to its rich biodiversity. The expansive marsh wetlands have distinct ecological characteristics. Centered around its ecological landscape, the park also integrates rich historical and cultural elements, offering high value for both cultural and ecotourism. The abundant wildlife, especially the diverse variety of waterfowl, often seen frolicking in groups in the water, sometimes dancing gracefully and other times diving beneath the surface, provides a beautiful spectacle and a highlight of the park. The wetland park comprises marshes, marshy meadows, salt marshes, freshwater lakes, and artificial wetlands. The optimized combination of natural and artificial vegetation, along with scientific planning, helps maintain the ecological integrity and natural features of the wetlands, forming a unique wetland plant landscape under highly favorable natural conditions.

Niuxin Tuobao Wetland is the location of Jilin Niuxin Tuobao National Wetland Park. “Niuxin” means “ox heart,” while “Tuobao” in Mongolian refers to a series of continuous earthen mounds or hillocks. Together, they describe an earthen hill shaped like an ox heart, referring to the largest mound in the middle of the pond—hence the name Niuxin Tuobao.

Jilin Niuxin Tuobao National Wetland Park is rich in natural beauty and boasts picturesque, pleasant scenery, making it an ideal destination for tourism and scientific research. In 2003, the Niuxin Tuobao Reed Farm, with support from the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under projects funded by the Jilin Provincial Science and Technology Department and the Provincial Agricultural Comprehensive Development Science and Technology Demonstration Project, carried out relevant scientific monitoring and demonstrated a composite ecological engineering model of reed-fish (crab)-rice. A wealth of scientific monitoring data was collected. In 2013, the Northeast Institute of Geography, CAS, and the Jilin Provincial Forestry Department established the only “Northeast Institute of Geography, CAS & Jilin Provincial Forestry Department Wetland Restoration and Rational Utilization Research Demonstration Base” in the province within the Jilin Niuxin Tuobao National Wetland Park. In 2015, the park was designated by the National Forestry Administration as one of the 23 key national wetland park construction sites in China and the only one in Jilin Province, becoming an ideal destination for ecotourism experiences in the western part of the province.

Source: Jilin Provincial Forestry Department