Guichi ShibaSuo Provincial Nature Reserve

Guichi ShibaSuo Provincial Nature Reserve

The Guichi ShibaSuo Provincial Nature Reserve in Anhui Province (hereinafter referred to as the Reserve) was established as a provincial-level nature reserve in April 2001 with the approval of the provincial government. The Reserve is situated in the floodplain area along the Yangtze River in Guichi District, Chizhou City, on the southern bank of the Yangtze River in Anhui. It is a wetland area composed mainly of ShibaSuo Lake and a series of small lakes, mudflats, marshes, and rice fields, covering seven administrative villages across two subdistrict offices—Dunshang and Meilong—with a total area of 3,651.6 hectares.

The Reserve is home to 446 species of vascular plants from 329 genera and 117 families, and 311 species of vertebrates from 92 families and 36 orders, including 206 species of birds from 54 families and 16 orders.

The main wintering waterfowl in the Reserve include species from the orders Anseriformes, Charadriiformes, Ciconiiformes, and Lariformes. Forty species are listed as key protected birds, six of which are under national protection: the Oriental stork, red-crowned crane, black-faced spoonbill, greater white-fronted goose, tundra swan, and Dalmatian pelican. There are also more than 30 bird species under provincial protection in Anhui. The number of wintering waterfowl in the Reserve exceeds 20,000.

The Qingtong River, which flows through the Reserve and leads directly to the Yangtze River, serves as a waterway for Buddhist pilgrimages to Jiuhua Mountain. Cultural and natural landscapes such as ShibaSuo, General Temple, Turtle Neck, and Ox Dung Mound are key sightseeing spots. The 400-year-old Du Family Ancestral Hall features grand Huizhou-style architecture. China's intangible cultural heritage, including Nuo opera and Mulian opera, has been passed down through generations.

The Reserve has implemented wetland conservation and restoration projects and has become one of the GEF project sites in Anhui Province. In 2016, the Maotan ShibaSuo Wetland School was established to carry out wetland conservation and awareness activities. The Reserve has built the Tongzishan Protection Station, Qingfengwei Protection Station, and ShibaSuo Birdwatching Platform, with the comprehensive building of the Protection Station currently under planning.

In 2008, the Reserve joined the Yangtze River Wetland Conservation Network. In 2010, Du Zhengrong, a ranger at the Reserve, received the Subaru Environmental Conservation Award.