Erlong Lake National Wetland Park in Binxian County, Heilongjiang Province

Erlong Lake National Wetland Park in Binxian County, Heilongjiang Province

Erlong Lake National Wetland Park in Heilongjiang Province is a national-level wetland park.

Erlong Lake Wetland Park in Binxian County, Heilongjiang Province is situated in the southern part of Heilongjiang Province, approximately 6 km southwest of Binxian County town on the south bank of the Songhua River. Its geographical coordinates range from 45°41′59.8″N to 45°44′36.6″N and 127°23′33.9″E to 127°27′48.3″E, with a length of 5.44 km from east to west, a width of 4.90 km from north to south, and a total area of 1,286.3 hectares.

Erlong Lake in Heilongjiang Province was approved as a national wetland park by the State Forestry Administration in 2012. The wetland park boundary extends east to the lakeside highway adjacent to Nanyang Village, west to the flood discharge channel neighboring Erlong Village, Yongle Village, and the Erlongshan residential area; south to the first mountain ridge line connecting to Erlongshan Forest Farm, and north to the lakeside highway adjacent to Erlongshan Village.

The water area of Erlong Lake Wetland Park is relatively large, mainly consisting of lakes and marshes. The main soil types include black soil, albic soil, meadow soil, marsh soil, peat soil, flood soil, and paddy soil, with a wetland coverage rate as high as 75.63%. The park boasts abundant wildlife resources. With a complex environment that includes large areas of lakes and marshes as well as smaller sections of meadows and forests, the park fully demonstrates the diversity of wildlife habitats. Due to the vast water area and abundant water resources, the park attracts various bird species that nest and breed in forests and grasslands to forage here. Large mammals are also often seen wandering along the lakeshore for resting, foraging, and drinking. Additionally, the park’s waterlogged wetlands and small patches of forest provide habitats for numerous wild animals. As a result, the park is home to a rich variety of wildlife, particularly birds and fish, with large populations spread over a wide range.

Surveys indicate that the park currently hosts 279 species of wildlife across 78 families and 30 orders, including 49 species of fish from 10 families and 4 orders; 8 species of amphibians from 5 families and 2 orders; 7 species of reptiles from 3 families and 2 orders; 181 species of birds from 46 families and 16 orders; and 34 species of mammals from 14 families and 6 orders. Nationally protected species include the Oriental White Stork (Class I) and 30 Class II protected species such as the Asiatic Black Bear, Lynx, Yellow-throated Marten, Siberian Weasel, Sika Deer, and Mandarin Duck. These make up an important part of the biological resources in the Harbin region.

Erlong Lake National Wetland Park in Binxian County, Heilongjiang Province belongs to the foothills of the Xiaoling Range in the northwestern part of the Zhangguangcai Mountain Range of the Changbai Mountain system, and its vegetation is part of the Changbai plant flora. The park has 364 species of higher plants, belonging to 183 genera and 64 families. Among these, there are 7 species of ferns from 5 genera and 4 families, accounting for 6.25% of the total number of families, 2.73% of the total number of genera, and 1.92% of the total number of species in the park; seed plants account for 98.08% of the total plant species in the park, with 357 species from 178 genera and 60 families, making up 93.75% of the families and 97.27% of the genera. Dominant plant families in the park include Asteraceae, Poaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rosaceae, Liliaceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Cyperaceae, Polygonaceae, and Fabaceae. These 11 dominant families comprise 60.22% of the total seed plant species in the park.

The ecosystem within Erlong Lake Wetland Park in Heilongjiang Province mainly consists of various types of wetlands, including river wetlands, herbaceous marsh wetlands, shrub marsh wetlands, reservoir and pond wetlands, and other artificial wetlands. The wetland landscape of Erlong Lake is beautiful and highly diverse, with unpolluted water bodies that effectively fulfill the ecological functions of wetlands. The wetland park is not only of great significance for the protection of wetland ecosystems but also plays important ecological and social roles in water conservation for Erlong Lake and the sustainable development of the regional economy.