Rongcheng Whooper Swan Nature Reserve

Rongcheng Whooper Swan Nature Reserve

The Rongcheng Whooper Swan Nature Reserve is a national-level nature reserve.

The Rongcheng Whooper Swan National Nature Reserve is located in Chengshan Town, Rongcheng City, under the jurisdiction of Weihai City, Shandong Province. It covers a total area of 1,675 hectares, including a core zone of 668 hectares, a buffer zone of 628 hectares, and an experimental zone of 379 hectares. In 2000, the Shandong Provincial Government approved the establishment of the Rongcheng Swan Lake Provincial Nature Reserve, which was upgraded to a national-level reserve in April 2007. The reserve primarily protects endangered bird species such as whooper swans and wetland ecosystems. It serves as a crucial stopover and wintering habitat for migratory birds traveling between north and south. Nearly ten thousand whooper swans winter here each year, making it the largest known wintering population habitat of whooper swans in the world. The reserve features four types of wetlands: reed marshes, tidal flats, shallow seas, and lagoons. The sandbar-lagoon system is a typical coastal landform in the reserve, among which Mashan Port is one of the most intact and representative lagoons in China.

Establishment Time:

In 2000, the Shandong Provincial Government approved the establishment of the Rongcheng Swan Lake Provincial Nature Reserve, which was upgraded to a national-level nature reserve in April 2007.

Type of Reserve:

A nature reserve primarily dedicated to protecting whooper swans and typical wetland ecosystems.

Geographic Coordinates:

Latitude 36°58′–37°25′ N, Longitude 122°23′–122°35′ E.

Area:

The total area of the reserve is 10,500 hectares, including a core zone of 3,720.2 hectares, a buffer zone of 3,056.5 hectares, and an experimental zone of 3,723.3 hectares.

Boundaries:

To the east, starting from the northern end of the Yuelake sandbar, extending southward along the sandbar to the Yuelake lagoon inlet, then westward to Mashan Road, continuing west along Mashan Road to the intersection with Zhangjia Road, proceeding southward along the road to the southeastern corner of the reed pond, then 18 meters due west to the seaside at Yangyuchi Bay, following the eastern coastline of Yangyuchi Bay southward, passing along the western shore of Yangyuchi Grass Island to its southeastern corner, then following the -3 meter isobath southward to a point 165 meters due east of Huabancaishi; to the south, from that 165-meter point, extending westward via Jiangdao to the mouth of Madao River, then following the southern bank of Madao River to Madao River Bridge; to the west, starting from Madao River Bridge, following the northern bank of the river to the river mouth, then following the western coastline of Linluo Bay northward to the 65.8 km mark on Provincial Highway 301, turning eastward at the 69.1 km mark along Provincial Highway 301, then following the small path behind Chezhugou Village to the western shore of Yuelake, proceeding northward along the western shoreline of Yuelake to its northwestern corner; to the north, starting from the northwestern corner of Yuelake, following the northern shoreline eastward to the northern end of the Yuelake sandbar.

Attraction Location:

Within Chengshan Town, Rongcheng City, Weihai, Shandong Province