Tianjin Ancient Coast and Wetlands National Nature Reserve

Ancient Coast and Wetlands National Nature Reserve

The Ancient Coast and Wetlands National Nature Reserve is a national-level nature reserve and a science education base.

Approved by the State Council in October 1992, the Tianjin Ancient Coast and Wetlands National Nature Reserve is China’s only national-level marine nature reserve focused on protecting rare ancient coastal relics such as shell ridges and oyster reefs, along with the natural wetland environment and its ecosystems. Within the reserve, three different types of geological formations coexist within a single administrative region—a phenomenon that is extremely rare both domestically and internationally.

The reserve is located on the western coast of the Bohai Bay, in the eastern part of the Tianjin area. It is a discontinuous, open-type reserve characterized by the coexistence of various geological formations. Its scope spans parts of six districts and counties in Tianjin: Dagang, Jinnan, Dongli, Tanggu, Hangu, and Ninghe, covering a total area of approximately 99,000 hectares (990 square kilometers), about one-tenth of Tianjin’s total land area.

At the eastern end of the reserve lie four shell ridges, which, together with those in Louisiana (USA) and Suriname (South America), are renowned in the geological world as the world’s three most famous shell ridges. These four ridges were formed by the tidal and wave action that transported, accumulated, and built up shells from the nearby seabed. Their orientation is generally parallel to the current coastline. The total span of the four ridges is about 36 kilometers, with a maximum distance of around 18 kilometers between adjacent ridges, extending approximately 60 kilometers from north to south. From west to east (i.e., from inland to sea), they are referred to as the IVth, IIIrd, IInd, and Ist Shell Ridges, respectively. The higher the number, the earlier the formation period. The Ist Shell Ridge starts from Chengtougou in Hangu District, Tianjin, passes through the Tianjin Development Zone, Lvjuxi, Gaoshaling, Baishuitou, and extends to Mapengkou in Dagang District, dating back about 700–500 years. The IInd Shell Ridge begins at Baishaling in Dongli District, extends southward through Dengcenzi and Banqiao Farm Third Sub-farm in Jinnan District, and reaches Shanggulin in Dagang District, dating back approximately 2,500 years. The IIIrd Shell Ridge starts from Huangcaotuo in Dongli District, runs south via Cuijiamao, Juguezhuang, Zhongtang, and ends at Xueweitai, dating back about 4,000 years. The IVth Shell Ridge stretches from north to south across Tianjindao in Dagang District, Dasuzhuang, Shuyuanzi, and into Hebei Province, dating back around 5,000 years. The ages of the shell ridges mark the approximate locations of the ancient coastline on the western shore of the Bohai Bay, serving as crucial evidence and precious relics of ancient coastal lines and sea-land changes, and are true records of dramatic geological shifts.

Oyster reefs are another significant geological feature of the reserve, formed in the area north of the Haihe River on the Tianjin coastal plain, specifically in the lower reaches of the Chaobai River and Ji Canal within Ninghe County and Baodi County. Their distribution is concentrated in the southern part of Baodi, central and eastern Ninghe, with the most typical section being the core oyster reef area in Kalukou Village, Ninghe County. Oyster reefs are natural accumulations of dead and live oysters, primarily forming in subtidal, brackish lagoon, and estuarine environments. They date back 7,000–3,000 years. Composed mainly of Crassostrea gigas and Crassostrea rivularis, the reefs exhibit clear stratified accumulation, with the thickest layers reaching up to 5 meters—an exceptionally rare phenomenon in the marginal coastal plains of the Western Pacific. In scale, the Tianjin oyster reefs are comparable only to those in Pathumtani (north of Bangkok, Thailand), Atchafalaya Bay (Louisiana, USA), and Point Au Fer Island. However, no other oyster reef deposits as thick as the 5-meter layers found in Tianjin have been discovered to date. The accumulation and burial process of the oyster reefs also reflect the region’s sea-land transformation history. Like the shell ridges, the oyster reefs are unique ancient coastal relics that distinguish the Tianjin Nature Reserve.

Qilihai Wetland is a treasured site within the Tianjin Nature Reserve. Located in the western part of Ninghe County, about 15 kilometers from the Bohai Sea, it evolved gradually from an ancient bay approximately 7,000 years ago into a paleo-lagoon-type wetland, covering an area of about 890 square kilometers. Qilihai Wetland is distinctive and represents the largest wetland with ancient coastal features in northern China. It boasts an exceptionally high concentration of negative oxygen ions—dozens to hundreds of times greater than in urban city centers—earning it the reputation of being the “green lung” of Beijing and Tianjin. It has been included in the national key wetlands list. With its vast water surfaces, fresh air, and abundant flora and fauna, Qilihai provides an excellent habitat and breeding ground for many rare and endangered wildlife species. Especially in summer, when vegetation flourishes and the landscape turns lush green, various birds inhabit and breed here. Some rare migratory birds even choose to rest here briefly during their journeys. Qilihai Wetland is not only a model of biodiversity and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature but also serves multiple ecological functions, including flood discharge, flood retention, drought and flood resistance, microclimate regulation, toxin deposition and detoxification, water conservation, nutrient retention, biomass output, water storage, and the improvement of Tianjin’s and surrounding areas’ natural and ecological environments.

Thanks to the regulatory effects of the wetlands, the natural environment within the reserve has been improved, providing favorable living conditions for its flora and fauna. According to incomplete statistics, the reserve is home to over 180 bird species, including more than 10 classified as national first-class protected species, 6 listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List, and 5 featured in the Asia-Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy. Other species include 6 reptiles, 4 amphibians, 8 crustaceans, 2 annelids, 13 mammals (across 5 orders and 6 families), 28 mollusks (from 2 classes and 19 families), 50 fish (from 7 orders, 9 families, and 50 genera), and 164 insects (from 10 orders, 56 families, 155 genera). The plant life includes 165 species from 114 genera and 44 families.

The reserve’s protected objects—the rare ancient coastal relics of shell ridges and oyster beds, the natural wetland environment, and its ecosystems—form an extraordinarily precious “natural museum.” They are important remnants from the Holocene epoch around 10,000 years ago, when the western line of the Bohai Bay evolved into land. These relics reflect the sea-land transformation processes of the Tianjin coastal plain driven by climate change over the past ten millennia. The Tianjin Ancient Coast and Wetlands National Nature Reserve holds significant scientific value for the study of ancient geography, paleoclimate, marine ecology, and sea-land changes. It serves as a base for research, teaching, and scientific studies, and is an irreplaceable, non-renewable treasure.

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Best travel time: March to November each year