Feidong Guanwan National Wetland Park

Feidong Guanwan National Wetland Park

Feidong Guanwan National Wetland Park is a national-level wetland park.

The Feidong Guanwan National Wetland Park in Feidong County, Anhui Province is situated in the central hinterland of Anhui, in the northern hilly and ridge area of Feidong County — the hometown of Bao Zheng — and on the southeast side of the forest ecological safety barrier of the Jianghuai Hills. It is the source of the Chu River, and the wetland park is adjacent to the main channel of the Chu River. This area is crucial for maintaining the biodiversity around Guanwan Lake, ensuring regional ecological security in the Jianghuai watershed, and improving the wetland protection network in the Chaohu Lake region. Among them, Guanwan Lake is not only a backup water source for Hefei, the provincial capital, but also serves as the drinking water source for Feidong County, playing a role in supplying water to downstream towns and in flood control. The pond wetlands preserve local historical memories and are an integral part of the park’s function in water conservation and ecological security maintenance.

Currently, due to human activities in the surrounding areas, the water quality in the region has declined, and the living environments of birds and aquatic animals in Guanwan Lake and its adjacent wetlands are under threat. In accordance with the "13th Five-Year Plan for Ecological Protection and Construction in Anhui Province" and the goal of building a modern, prosperous, beautiful, and strong eastern new city of Hefei, during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the Feidong County Party Committee and County Government decided, while ensuring irrigation, flood control, and drinking water source safety, to initiate the application and construction of Guanwan National Wetland Park, with Guanwan Lake as the core, supplemented by rivers in the north and ponds in the east. The proposed Feidong Guanwan National Wetland Park in Anhui is geographically located between longitude 114.79°E and 117.54°E, and latitude 32.02°N and 32.08°N. Its planned scope covers Liangyuan Town, Yangdian Township, and Pailang Hui and Man Ethnic Township, stretching from Feidong County Road X30 in the east, to the dam of Guanwan Lake in the west, to the main channel of the Chu River in the south, and to Liujicun Village in Dian Township in the north. The total planned area is 664.24 hectares, including 412.81 hectares of wetland, accounting for 62.00% of the total area. The wetland park mainly consists of two types of wetlands: constructed wetlands and riverine wetlands, and three wetland subtypes: inland beaches, permanent rivers, and reservoir/pond wetlands. Within the Guanwan Lake wetland area, there are nearly a hundred ponds of varying sizes, many of which have a long history. Historical records indicate that they date back about 1,200 years. These ponds are clustered across the landscape, scattered like brilliant pearls embedded along the spine of the Jianghuai watershed.

We have every reason to believe that through the construction of wetland protection and restoration projects, the future Feidong Guanwan National Wetland Park will become an ecological highland for preserving the lifeblood of Feidong, a model window for educating about wetland and pond culture in the Jianghuai watershed, and a benchmark for protecting the compound reservoir-pond and riverine wetland ecosystems in central Anhui. We have every reason to believe that in the near future, a national wetland park with rational planning, natural ecology, beautiful surroundings, and enchanting scenery will be presented to the world.