Beidagang Wetland Nature Reserve

Beidagang Wetland Nature Reserve

The Beidagang Wetland Nature Reserve is located in the southeastern part of Dagang District, Tianjin, approximately 6 kilometers from the Bohai Bay. Covering an area of 44,000 hectares, it includes four types of wetlands: lakes, rivers, coastal mudflats, and marshes, making it the largest wetland nature reserve in Tianjin. The Beidagang Wetland Nature Reserve in Tianjin was expanded from the original Gulugou Wetland Nature Reserve (district-level), which was approved by the Dagang District Government in August 1999. In December 2001, it was officially designated as the Beidagang Wetland Nature Reserve (municipal-level) by the Tianjin Municipal Government.

The nature reserve consists of seven parts: the Beidagang Reservoir, Shajingzi Reservoir, Qianquan Reservoir, the lower reaches of the Duliujian River, Guan'gang Lake, Li'erwan, and coastal mudflats. The total area of the reserve is 43,495.37 hectares, accounting for about 39.05% of the land area of Dagang District. Among these, the Beidagang Reservoir, Shajingzi Reservoir, and Qianquan Reservoir form the core zone, covering an area of 17,227 hectares, or 39.6% of the total reserve area. The lower reaches of the Duliujian River, Li'erwan, and coastal mudflats constitute the buffer zone, spanning 24,128.37 hectares, or 55.5% of the total area. Guan'gang Lake serves as the experimental zone, with an area of 2,140 hectares, or 4.9% of the total.

The Beidagang area lies along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and is one of the regions with the richest biodiversity in China’s Bohai Bay. The primary conservation targets of the reserve are the wetland ecosystem and its biodiversity, including birds, other wildlife, and rare and endangered species. The Beidagang Wetland serves as a stopover on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, where large numbers of migratory waterbirds pass through each year for migration and breeding.

Over 140 bird species have been recorded in the region, belonging to 12 orders and 26 families. Among them, six species are under national first-class protection: the Oriental Stork, Black Stork, Red-crowned Crane, Siberian Crane, Great Bustard, and Relict Gull. Seventeen species are under national second-class protection, including the Eurasian Coot, Whooper Swan, Tundra Swan, Mute Swan, Greater White-fronted Goose, Common Crane, Hooded Crane, Demoiselle Crane, Common Kestrel, Amur Falcon, Northern Harrier, Pied Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Eastern Marsh-Harrier, Eurasian Hobby, and others. Wading birds passing through the area reach a frequency of over 8 million annually, with waterbird species accounting for one-third of China’s avian resources. The reserve also hosts over 20 species of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, nearly 40 fish species, more than 80 insect species across six orders, over 120 plant species, 19 phytoplankton species, and 13 zooplankton species. Experts have concluded that the Beidagang Wetland Nature Reserve holds significant conservation value and meets international criteria for “Wetlands of International Importance.”

The vegetation in the reserve is dominated by marsh reed communities (about 60%), along with water plantain communities (about 2%), reed and cattail communities (about 5%), hornwort, Vallisneria, and Potamogeton communities (about 2%), hornwort, Ceratophyllum, and Hydrilla communities (about 3%), barnyard grass communities (about 5%), seepweed and angular sea-blite communities (about 5%), reed and seepweed communities (about 15%), and tamarisk communities (about 3%). Scattered artificial trees, mainly elm and scholar trees, can also be found around the reserve and on the embankments.

Every spring and autumn, migratory birds traveling along the East Asian-Australian Flyway stop here to feed and rest. In recent years, as awareness of bird-loving, bird-watching, and bird conservation has grown among the people of Dagang, the diversity of bird species in the wetland has increased significantly. According to observations and statistics by graduate students specializing in ornithology from Beijing Normal University, since February 27, more than 30 species of migratory birds—including swans, Siberian Cranes, Oriental White Storks, Northern Lapwings, geese, wild ducks, herons, and black-winged stilts—have been spotted at the Beidagang Reservoir, totaling tens of thousands of individuals. The largest flock observed consisted of over 700 swans. Most excitingly, on March 24, a swan wearing a Russian red neck ring was spotted. The discovery of this swan at the Beidagang Reservoir holds high academic value for research on swan migration routes.

Even more noteworthy is that the Oriental White Stork, a national first-class protected bird with a global population of only about 3,000, has been recorded in transit at the Beidagang Reservoir with numbers exceeding 500 individuals.

As night falls, the singing of the “angels” of the wetland and the calls of wild geese blend into a beautiful nocturne. Standing on the reservoir’s embankment and looking into the distance, the neon-lit city of Dagang appears especially beautiful against the backdrop of the wetland.

Nowadays, visiting the Beidagang Reservoir to listen to the cheerful songs of birds, breathe in the fresh scent of grass, and watch the beautiful wetland sunset has become a cherished experience for many nature-loving residents of Dagang. When the sun sets, the quiet wetland is filled only with the songs of these “angels.”

Transportation

Address: Southeastern part of Dagang District, Tianjin (Beidagang Reservoir)

Public Transport: From downtown Tianjin, take bus 688 and get off at Xiyuanxili Station

Self-driving Route: Downtown Tianjin – Minzhu Avenue – Ping’an Street – Fu’an Street – Nanmenwai Street – Weijin Road – Weijin South Road – National Highway 205 – Guangming Street – Fudi Road – Beidagang Reservoir