Meifeng Lake National Wetland Park in Lianyuan

Lianyuan Meifeng Lake National Wetland Park

Lianyuan Meifeng Lake National Wetland Park is a national-level wetland park.

Lianyuan Meifeng Lake National Wetland Park in Hunan is located in the northwest of Lianyuan City, Hunan. It includes Meifeng Lake, the ecological conservation forests within the first ridge line around the lake, as well as the rivers and wetlands at the reservoir’s tail end. The geographical coordinates are 111°38′36″ to 111°42′01″ east longitude and 27°54′58″ to 27°57′35″ north latitude. The total area of the wetland park is 508.6 hectares, with a wetland area of 225.0 hectares, accounting for a wetland ratio of 44.3%. It includes five types of wetlands: permanent rivers, karst cave wetlands, herbaceous marshes, and reservoir pond wetlands. With diverse wetland types and abundant wetland resources, it is a typical representative of the reservoir pond wetland ecosystem in the low mountain and hilly karst regions of southern China. The park hosts 108 families, 384 genera, and 724 species of vascular plants, including six nationally protected plant species such as ginkgo, wild soybean, golden buckwheat, and stiffleaf thlaspi, among which stiffleaf thlaspi and Pseudovesicaria digitata were discovered in Hunan Province for the first time. There are 189 species of vertebrates across 5 classes, 26 orders, and 72 families, including 12 nationally protected animal species such as the tiger frog, black-eared kite, and Eurasian sparrowhawk. Twenty-one species are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), such as the Indian cobra and spotted owlet. Nineteen species are endemic to China, including the southern pseudaspius, large-scaled loach, Zhenhai wood frog, and grey-breasted partridge. There are also 119 species of “Three Protected” (economic, scientific, and medicinal value) species as defined by the National Forestry Administration, and 103 species that are key protected at the provincial level in Hunan. The area boasts rich biodiversity and numerous rare plant and animal species, making it of great value for conservation, scientific research, and environmental education.