Lu'an Pihe National Wetland Park

Lu'an Pihe National Wetland Park

Lu'an Pihe National Wetland Park is a national-level wetland park.

Anhui Lu'an Pihe National Wetland Park is situated in the middle reaches of the Pihe River within the urban area of Lu'an City, a central city in the Dabie Mountains region. It extends from the northern end of the Hengpaitou Water Control Hub in the south to the Chengbei Rubber Dam, 500 meters downstream of the Hefei-Lu'an-Yeji Expressway in the north. The wetland park spans a total area of 4,448 hectares, with a wetland coverage of 61.28%, and is a typical riverine wetland type. The Pihe River, which flows through the park, is a first-level tributary of the Huai River, entering the Huai at Zhengyangguan.

The Pihe Wetland Park includes five functional zones: wetland conservation area, wetland restoration area, rational use area, science education and publicity area, and management service area. The wetland conservation area is located in the upper reaches of the Pihe River within the park, stretching from the northern end of the Hengpaitou Water Control Hub to the National Highway 312. This section, with a river length of 19.6 kilometers, accounts for 46.3% of the total park area and represents a vital part of the Pihe wetland. The wetland restoration area lies between Xincheng First Road and 500 meters downstream of the Hefei-Lu'an-Yeji Expressway, with a river length of 6.1 kilometers. The rational use area, science education and publicity area, and management service area are all situated along both banks of the Pihe River in the central urban area.

The park provides a suitable habitat for wetland plants as well as birds, fish, and benthic organisms. Existing wetland vegetation includes duckweed, water shield, wild water chestnut, calamus, and lotus. Wildlife includes species such as carp, crucian carp, bream, and silver carp, while common bird species in the wetland include mallards, egrets, herons, and grebes.

Since its approval for pilot construction in December 2011, the Lu'an Municipal People's Government has established the Lu'an Pihe National Wetland Park Management Committee to strengthen comprehensive management of the Pihe wetland. Under this committee, the Lu'an Urban Wetland Park Administration was set up to oversee the construction and management of the wetland park. Relevant regulations, such as the "Anhui Lu'an Pihe National Wetland Park Management Measures," have been enacted to provide solid management support for the development of the Pihe National Wetland Park.

In the wetland conservation and restoration areas, sand mining has been banned, sand mining vessels and fishing "stunning net" traps have been cleared, ecological revetments have been restored, and rubber dams have been built to impound water and form wetland water bodies. The rational use area has become a venue for leisure, sightseeing, and various public fitness and sports events centered around the wetland and featuring water sports. Facilities in the science education and publicity area and the management service area are currently under construction.

The construction of the Pihe Wetland Park has improved the water environment of the Pihe River, maintained the positive cycle of the ecosystem, and laid a solid foundation for the green development of Lu'an.