Dazhanhe Wetland Nature Reserve

Dazhanhe Wetland Nature Reserve

The Dazhanhe Wetland Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve.

The Heilongjiang Dazhanhe Wetland National Nature Reserve was established as a provincial (ministerial) level nature reserve in 2001 under approval document No. 313 [2001] of the State Forestry Administration, upgraded to provincial-level in January 2006 under document No. 8 [2006] from the People’s Government of Heilongjiang Province, and further promoted to national-level status in September 2009 under document No. 54 [2009] from the General Office of the State Council. It covers a total area of 211,618 hectares, including a core zone of 88,767 hectares, a buffer zone of 45,847 hectares, and an experimental zone of 77,004 hectares.

The Heilongjiang Dazhanhe Wetland National Nature Reserve is located within Wudalianchi City in northern Heilongjiang Province, on the northern foothills of the Xiaoxing’an Mountains and in the upper reaches of the Dazhanhe River within the management area of the Zhanhe Forestry Bureau. Its geographical coordinates are 127°57′54″ to 128°27′24″ east longitude and 48°01′23″ to 48°46′45″ north latitude. It stretches 57.4 kilometers from east to west and 81.7 kilometers from north to south, with an elevation ranging from a minimum of 420 meters to a maximum of 465 meters. The reserve starts from the source of the Dazhanhe River at Nanzhanhe in the south, extends northeastward along the boundaries of the Zhanhe Forestry Bureau with the Suileng, Youhao, Shangganling, and Hongxing Forestry Bureaus up to Huadukang Mountain, then turns southwest through the Erkehe, Beiyin, Yinanhé, Jianxinshan, and Wuseng forestry farms to the Dazhanhe River. From there, it follows the forest compartment boundary of the Dajiling Reservoir Forestry Farm along the Dazhanhe River, then continues along the boundary between the Zhanhe Forestry Bureau and the Tongbei Forestry Bureau back to Nanzhanhe.

The Heilongjiang Dazhanhe Wetland National Nature Reserve is an inland wetland and aquatic ecosystem reserve. Its conservation targets include: (1) the most typical, complete in type, centrally distributed, and largest-scale forested wetland ecosystem in the Xiaoxing’an Mountain region; (2) an important breeding ground for key species of forested swamps and for the globally rare and China Class I protected bird—the Siberian crane—as well as a major migration corridor, stopover site, and habitat for waterfowl in Northeast Asia; (3) rare wildlife and plant resources represented by the floatingleaf arrowhead, along with rich biodiversity in the temperate forested wetland ecosystems of North China; (4) a critical water conservation area at the source of the Zhanhe River, a major tributary in the upper reaches of the Heilongjiang River basin.

The administrative office of the reserve is located in the conveniently accessible Zhanhe Forestry Bureau. The office building has a floor area of 1,500 m². Eight protection and management stations have been established, namely Jianxinshan, Wuseng, Gelaqi, Beiyin, Yinanhé, Erkehe, Beizhanhe, and Jilingku, totaling 400 m², along with three monitoring stations—Takala River, Quan’erpaozi, and Wuseng—totaling 300 m². There is also one key species monitoring point covering 80 m², and a landmark sculpture for the reserve named “Uplifting the Future.” Clear boundary markers, signposts, and information signs have been set up across all functional zones of the reserve to indicate boundaries, provide directions, explain regulations, offer warnings, and convey other information. To date, 10 boundary tablets, 568 boundary stakes, 110 information boards, and 80 boundary signs have been installed. All protection and management stations have electricity, relatively complete communication facilities, and living amenities such as plumbing, heating, staff dormitories, and vehicles. Roads connect the various stations, most of which are third-class highways.