Chongqing Lixi River National Wetland Park

Chongqing Lixi River National Wetland Park

Chongqing Lixi River National Wetland Park is a national-level wetland park.

Chongqing Lixi River National Wetland Park is located in Rongchang District, Chongqing, covering multiple towns and streets such as Wanling Ancient Town, Changyuan Subdistrict, Guchang Town, and Ronglong Town. It has a total area of 914.5 hectares, with wetland area of 386.6 hectares, making up a wetland ratio of 42.28%. The park is divided into five sections: conservation zone, restoration and reconstruction zone, rational utilization zone, science education and publicity zone, and management service zone. Since the pilot construction began in December 2009, Rongchang District has integrated and raised a total of 362 million yuan to implement projects within the Lixi River National Wetland Park, including greening along both sides of the Lixi River, the ecological landscape corridor along Ronglu Road, and water quality protection projects for the Lixi River. The park has also constructed an education center and educational corridor for the Lixi River National Wetland Park, and explored the development of a distinctive forest-wetland industry model called “Forest-Wild Wetland,” featuring characteristics of the Lixi River. Long-term monitoring and protection have been carried out for the flora, fauna, and water quality within the wetland park.

The Lixi River is the mother river of Rongchang District and the source of drinking water for its residents. The planned total area of Lixi River National Wetland Park is 2,492 hectares, including 750 hectares of wetlands, featuring various types of wetlands dominated by riverine wetlands. The winding river channel and surrounding habitats create an ecological landscape known as the “Hundred-Mile Gallery.” The crisscrossing paddy fields and ponds showcase the rural charm of a land abundant in fish and rice, while ancient towns and historical sites that thrived through water commerce carry a long-standing cultural heritage.

In December 2009, the Lixi River Wetland Park was approved as a pilot site for national wetland park construction. Through subsequent development, it has demonstrated typical, representative, unique, and diverse features, along with strong ecological functionality. The plant resources in the Lixi River National Wetland Park include a rich variety of wetland plants, with 150 species of wetland vascular plants, accounting for 10.28% of the total number of wetland vascular plant species in China. There are also 227 species of vertebrates, belonging to 3 classes, 77 families, 188 genera.

On August 28, 2016, it passed the evaluation and acceptance by the expert panel of the State Forestry Administration and was officially designated as a “National Wetland Park.”