Guizhou Jiangkou National Wetland Park

Guizhou Jiangkou National Wetland Park

Guizhou Jiangkou National Wetland Park is a national-level wetland park.

Guizhou Jiangkou National Wetland Park is located in Jiangkou County, Tongren City, Guizhou Province, covering a total area of 661 hectares.

Guizhou Jiangkou National Wetland Park is situated in Jiangkou County, Tongren City, northeastern Guizhou Province. It lies on the slope where the Guizhou Plateau transitions to the hills of western Hunan, and mainly covers the Taiping River basin from the dam site of the Jinjiang River after the confluence of two rivers in Jiangkou, extending upstream to the small bridge over the Taiping River at Zhaisa near the boundary of Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve. The area involves parts of the forested land on both riverbanks, as well as sections of the Minxiao River. The boundaries are: east to the Jinjiang Dam after the confluence of two rivers near the county town, south to the bridgehead of the Minxiao River near the county town, west to Dapo, and north to the boundary of Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve. The geographical coordinates are 108°45′17″–108°52′3″E, 27°41′34″–27°49′55″N, stretching 45 km from north to south, with a planned total area of 661.0 hectares and a wetland coverage rate of 41.8%.

The planned area of the wetland park is located in Taiping Town and Shuangjiang Town of Jiangkou County, forming a narrow strip characterized by lush mountains, green waters, beautiful scenery, and rich biodiversity. It combines ethnic culture with Buddhist heritage, making it an ideal destination for “traveling thousands of miles and reading thousands of books.”

The planned area of Jiangkou Wetland Park is situated in the mid-subtropical zone, featuring a mild climate and abundant rainfall. With a forest coverage rate of over 80%, the park originates from Fanjingshan Mountain and is located within Taiping Town. The total river length within the park is 45 km. Leveraging the Fanjingshan tourist attraction, Jiangkou is being developed into a national wetland park, connecting seamlessly with the Fanjingshan scenic area to increase tourist sites and extend the travel route. Along the riverbanks, original forests and secondary forests coexist, with main plant communities including: Pterocarya stenoptera forests, Buddleja lindleyana communities, Debregeasia orientalis thickets, and Vitex negundo communities.

Jiangkou Wetland boasts abundant aquatic animal resources, including endemic economic fish species such as Varicorhinus simus, Acrossocheilus fasciatus, Coreius guichenoti, and Siniperca spp., as well as rare and unique freshwater mollusks native to China, such as Bellamya purificata, Bithynia fuchsiana, Bithynia misella, and Bithynia trifasciata. The wetland also provides habitat for rare and endemic amphibians and reptiles. In addition to the nationally second-class protected Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus), there are other unique species such as Paramesotriton caudopunctatus, Leptobrachium boringii, Opisthotropis latouchii, and Ptyas dhumnades. These form the most vibrant animal world in Jiangkou Wetland. The area also features cultural sites such as the Zhaisa Buddhist Culture Garden and the Yuping Tujia Ethnic Culture Village.

Jiangkou County’s tourism industry has reached a certain scale, comprising an A-zone centered around the Fanjingshan scenic area, and B and C zones supported by the county town and other attractions. Currently, the Fanjingshan–Taiping River scenic area has been designated as a “China Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Site,” while Yunshe has been listed as a “Guizhou Provincial Rural Tourism Demonstration Site.” In 2012, the county received 3.18 million tourists, generating total tourism revenue of 860 million yuan.

On December 31, 2013, the State Forestry Administration issued the “Notice of the State Forestry Administration on Approving the Pilot Work of 131 Wetlands Including the Yongding River in Wuqing, Tianjin, as National Wetland Parks” (No. 243 [2013] of the Forestry and Wetland Bureau), approving Guizhou Jiangkou National Wetland Park as a pilot unit for national wetland park development. Currently, the Jiangkou County People's Government has established the Guizhou Jiangkou National Wetland Park Construction Leading Group, and the formation of the Guizhou Jiangkou National Wetland Park Management Bureau, including its organizational structure and staffing, is underway.