Lu Yang Lake Nature Reserve

Lu Yang Lake Nature Reserve

Lu Yang Lake Nature Reserve

Lu Yang Lake was originally a marshy wasteland covered with mugwort and reeds. But now, what unfolds before people’s eyes is a long green belt, stretching endlessly to the west, east, and north. Lush, transparent, and dense, it resembles a verdant screen. The golden rays of the setting sun bathe the green expanse — though it lacks the desolation of “a lone wisp of smoke rising straight in the desert,” it possesses the grandeur of “the long river and the setting sun in perfect round.” However, this surging and rolling long river is actually that vibrant green forest belt.

The total area of the reserve is 15.3 square kilometers. Its terrain is like a cauldron — high on all sides with a low center — encircled by 16.5 kilometers of embankments. The area is rich in water resources, with fish ponds in every village. The combined area of these fish ponds exceeds 300 acres, while the aquaculture farms cover an area of 1,300 acres. In the autumn of 1976, provincial, municipal, and county experts in soil and forestry conducted a comprehensive assessment of the Lu Yang Lake wasteland. They concluded that although it was a barren area, it was abundant in aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna. If densely planted with trees, it could become an ideal habitat and breeding ground for birds and wildlife — a green bank on the wasteland.

After more than 20 years of development, the former wasteland has been transformed into a forest farm. Today, there are 590 acres of metasequoia and dawn redwood forests, 110 acres of nurseries, 87 acres of fruit orchards, 20 acres of bamboo groves, and 358 acres of farmland. The standing timber volume reaches 7,820 cubic meters, with a forest coverage rate of 41%. Now, within the dawn redwood forests and fruit orchards, rustling woods and chirping birds abound, while snakes slither and rabbits dart about. The wetland and forest birds here number in the hundreds, belonging to 13 orders and 20 families. Among them are 21 species from the Oriental realm, 28 from the Palaearctic realm, and 30 widespread species, including over 10 protected by the state. The gray ones are magpies, the brown-backed ones are shrikes, the entirely golden ones with only black napes are orioles, and those with one eye open and one closed are owls. The Chinese pond herons are unafraid of humans and can often be seen strolling leisurely in front of people; meanwhile, the grey herons seem rather aloof, striding about in the distance like gentlemen. Bird nests line up one after another on the treetops, while wild rabbits frequently dart across the ground below; yellow weasels are often seen in pairs following each other, and otters poke their heads out of the water — the moment there's any disturbance, they quickly swim away. It is a free world of birds and beasts. In August 1985, Lu Yang Forest Farm became a nature reserve for birds and wildlife. In 1981, the area suffered severe infestations of bagworms and tussock moths, but after the establishment of the reserve, almost no pests can be found within the forest. The social benefits brought by the ecological impact are also considerable. For this reason, experts from the Ministry of Forestry and the Chinese Academy of Forestry, as well as forestry delegations from countries such as India and Nepal, have come to conduct research here. Beijing Film Studio even filmed a movie at Lu Yang Lake.

Looking ahead, the Lu Yang Reserve has formulated plans to add tourist attractions and embellish the landscape with garden architecture; establish a specimen museum to showcase bird and wildlife specimens from the reserve; develop a forest park-style nature reserve; and build a large-scale wetland plain bird and wildlife nature reserve.