Jiushou Liangwan National Wetland Park

Jiushou Liangwan National Wetland Park

(Photography: Zhang Wenhua)

Jiushou Liangwan National Wetland Park is a national-level wetland park.

Anhui’s Jiushou Liangwan Wetland Park is located in Jiushou City in the northwest of Anhui Province. It mainly consists of a section of the Quanhe River, a secondary tributary of the Huai River, along with five other areas: Ma Wan, Nanji Wan, Jiangyang Gou, and Jiulongkou. The park covers an area of 504.34 hectares, with wetland area spanning 319.76 hectares, accounting for a wetland ratio of 63.4%.

The main waterway of Liangwan Wetland Park, the Quanhe River, has a width of 100 to 150 meters and a depth of 8–12 meters, featuring abundant water resources with Class III water quality—it serves as an important source of fresh water locally. The Quanhe River and the surrounding channels and bends maintain a natural river form, with reeds stretching for several kilometers along the banks and diverse wetland plant communities thriving, contributing to rich biodiversity. According to surveys, there are 33 species of zooplankton, 97 species of phytoplankton, 109 species of wild animals, and 112 species of higher plants. Among them, two plant species are under national second-class protection: lotus and wild soybean; nine animal species are under national second-class key protection, including the greater white-fronted goose and the mandarin duck.

The Liangwan Wetland area boasts rich cultural and historical landscapes. It was once the main battlefield where the Southern Song Dynasty general Liu Qi resisted the Jin general Wushu, the former residence of the Ming Dynasty imperial censor Tian, and a resting place for the Liu-Deng Army as they marched southward and swept across the Central Plains. Numerous stories of deep camaraderie between soldiers and civilians are widely told here.

The People’s Government of Jiushou City places high importance on the protection and development of Liangwan Wetland. In October 2012, the “Jiushou Wetland Park Management Bureau” was established, with a regular division-level structure and a staff quota of five. Through unremitting efforts, the infrastructure construction and science education systems of Liangwan Wetland Park have taken initial shape, including the completion of the Wetland Park Management Center and the Science Education Exhibition Hall. In June 2014, Liangwan Wetland Park was approved as a provincial-level wetland park by the Anhui Provincial Forestry Department, and in December 2015, it was listed as a national wetland park pilot site by the National Forestry Administration.

With the ongoing development of Liangwan Wetland Park, an ecologically natural, picturesque, and harmonious park has become a paradise for wildlife reproduction in northwestern Anhui, a base for wetland science education, and a platform for promoting the history and culture of Jiushou. It is gradually developing into a dazzling pearl on the Huang-Huai Plain.

Source: People’s Government of Jiushou City, Anhui Province