Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park

Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park

Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park is a national-level wetland park.

Ningxia’s Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park is situated in the northwest of Wuzhong City, at the junction of Litong District and Qingtongxia. It features a long, narrow, belt-like shape, extending from Qingshui Gully in the north to the boundary between Litong District and Qingtongxia City in the south, with its eastern and western edges roughly marked by the 100-meter greenbelt outside the Riverside Avenue. The park also encompasses wetlands and green areas such as Meijiawan Wetland, Arboretum, Landscape Waterway, and YiYang Garden, covering a total area of approximately 28.76 square kilometers.

At the end of 2009, the State Forestry Administration approved the establishment of the "Ningxia Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park Pilot." In October 2013, the State Forestry Administration officially awarded it the title of "National Wetland Park."

The land types surrounding the wetland park mainly include cultivated land, orchards, forest land, residential land, rural construction land, road land, and water bodies. Within the wetland park, in addition to large areas of water bodies, there are also river beaches, public green spaces, rural construction land, orchards, cultivated land, and road land.

I. Wetland Park Planning

Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park is one of the twelve national wetland parks approved for establishment by the State Forestry Administration in Ningxia. It is divided into five functional zones: Wetland Conservation Area, Wetland Experience Area, Rational Utilization Area, Wetland Function Display Area, and Service Management Area. These five zones complement each other to maintain the structure and functional integrity of the natural ecosystem. In recent years, Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park has actively sought national financial support for wetland conservation and restoration efforts. From 2011 to 2015, it secured a total of 11 million yuan in central government subsidies for wetland protection, which were primarily used for wetland ecological restoration, wetland monitoring, scientific research and education, and patrol management. The project restored 34.5 hectares of lakeshore vegetation, rehabilitated 10 hectares of habitats, established 27.7 hectares of landscape shelterbelt, dredged 60,000 cubic meters of lake sediment, supplied 8 million cubic meters of ecological water replenishment annually, built five water level control gates, and purchased over twenty sets of observation and detection equipment. In recent years, following the arrangements of the municipal Party committee and government, and under the correct leadership of the Municipal Gardens Bureau, the park has actively organized wetland development in line with local conditions and the Wuzhong Wetland Master Plan. It has leveraged the multiple benefits of wetlands—such as flood control, runoff regulation, drought mitigation, pollution control, climate regulation, farmland protection, and environmental beautification—playing an irreplaceable role in maintaining the ecological system of the Ningxia Yellow River Plain. The urban wetland ecological environment has significantly improved, and the momentum of ecological forestry development has been robust.

II. Main Types of Wetlands

The types of wetlands within the Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park are relatively simple. They are typical of the upper reaches of the Yellow River in the inland northwest, where the main components of natural wetlands are the Yellow River water surface and river beach wetlands. Lake wetlands and artificial wetlands are also important parts. Artificial wetlands are mainly used for aquaculture, focusing on species such as grass carp, common carp, and silver carp. These activities not only provide additional income for local farmers but also contribute to ecosystem diversity and offer special foraging and habitat areas for waterfowl.

III. Features of the Wetland Park

Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park boasts distinctive construction and resource characteristics.

(I) Construction Features

1. Water as the Lifeline: Establishing the Strategic Role of Wetland Protection in Urban Development

Located in the heart of the Ningxia Plain, Wuzhong City is traversed by the Yellow River, which flows through 69 kilometers of the city and has a long history of Yellow River irrigation, earning it the reputation of being the "Jiangnan of the Frontier, a Land of Fish and Rice." Since 2003, in accordance with the State Council’s urban master function zoning plan and the regional Party committee and government’s strategy to build the Golden Yellow River Shore and accelerate the development of the Yellow River urban agglomeration, Wuzhong City has leveraged its wetland resource advantages and coordinated urban-rural development prospects. The city proposed the overall idea of diverting water into the urban area, using water as the lifeline, and constructing an ecological, water-rhythm city. This vision has gradually evolved into the urban development strategy of "Relying on the Yellow River, shifting west and expanding east, forming a belt with two wings, developing towards each other, echoing between east and west, and integrating into one." The protection of urban wetlands and the construction of water systems have been formally established as foundational projects for urban development. The protection of wetlands along the Yellow River and the renovation and construction of surrounding water systems such as Qingning River, Qin Canal, and Qingshui Gully have been integrated into the newly revised urban master plan and urban green space system plan. Urban blue lines have been designated to clarify protection boundaries, set construction goals, coordinate land procedures, and develop implementation steps, laying a solid foundation for effective wetland protection.

2. Pollution Control: Ensuring the Water Environment Quality of Wetlands at the Source

Wuzhong City has comprehensively advanced water environment management in conjunction with the implementation of the “Two Major Projects” for urban-rural environmental improvement and greening and beautification. Efforts have been intensified to manage and monitor the environment and construction projects around urban wetlands. Illegal sand excavation sites, garbage dumping, and waste disposal that damaged the wetland ecological landscape have been heavily rectified, and arbitrary encroachment and destruction of wetlands have been promptly stopped. Comprehensive management has been carried out for heavily polluting industries such as papermaking, leather tanning, chemicals, and printing, further controlling industrial and domestic water pollution to wetlands. Eleven paper mills causing water pollution in wetlands have been legally shut down, resulting in a significant improvement in the water environment quality of wetlands along the Yellow River in the urban planning area. The proportion of surface water Class IV and above in the urban planning area has reached 66.7%. Through these measures, the quality of wetland water sources has been markedly enhanced, and the ecological health of wetlands has been further safeguarded.

3. Afforestation: Improving the Ecological Environment Around Wetlands and Building Wuzhong into an Eco-Garden City with Blue Skies, Green Land, Clean Water, and Livable Conditions

To effectively restore the ecological functions of wetlands, Wuzhong City has strictly followed the Urban Green Space System Plan, intensifying the planning and construction of ecological greening around wetlands. With a total investment exceeding 100 million yuan, projects such as the “Demonstration Project for Ecological Restoration and Protection of Binhe Wetlands in Wuzhong City, Ningxia” have been implemented. The Qingning River, South Ring Water System, Qingshui Gully, and NanGan Gully—four surrounding water systems—have been renovated, and lakes such as Arboretum and YiYang Garden have been excavated and expanded. Over 2,000 acres of wetland area have been restored, and a total of 75,000 acres of wetland restoration and ecological construction have been completed, including 21,750 acres of garden landscape construction, 12,000 acres of economic forest construction, and 41,250 acres of wetland restoration and protection.

In recent years, ecological green belts averaging 100 meters in width have been constructed along both banks of the 28.08-kilometer section of the Yellow River from Yesheng Yellow River Bridge to Qingzhen Yellow River Bridge, extending outward from the Riverside Avenue. Landscape green belts ranging from 30 to 100 meters in width have been built along both sides of surrounding water systems such as Qingning River, Qingshui Gully, NanGan Gully, and the South Ring Water System. Park green spaces no smaller than twice the water area have been created around artificial lakes such as Qingli Garden and YiYang Garden. A total of over 12,000 acres of greening have been completed, with more than 5 million plants of various types planted. This has effectively improved the ecological environment around wetlands, initially realizing the ecological, social, and economic benefits of wetlands, promoting the coordinated development of Wuzhong’s regional society, economy, and environment, and advancing the city toward becoming a livable place with “blue skies, green land, and clean water.”

• (II) Resource Features

1. Superior Geographic Location Creating Unique Natural Landscapes

Due to historical and natural reasons, the ecosystem of the Ningxia Autonomous Region has always been relatively fragile, falling within the scope of the national key ecological function area for soil and water conservation. Land desertification and soil erosion are serious issues. However, the Yellow River traverses Wuzhong City, giving the Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park a unique geographic location and important ecological function. The area is rich in water resources, forming beautiful natural landscapes that provide excellent leisure and tourism opportunities.

2. Abundant Water Resources Ensuring the Survival of Flora and Fauna

Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park is rich in water resources. The Yellow River meanders through the area, with over 50 large and small river islands in the river. The largest island covers about 200 hectares during the dry season. The river beach wetlands are generally covered with dense reeds and floating, submerged, and emergent aquatic plants, as well as plankton, creating a naturally beautiful environment. Outside the main channel, there are several ponds with favorable natural conditions. The Landscape Waterway runs through the urban planning area, spanning over ten kilometers, providing excellent habitats for birds.

3. Rich Flora and Fauna Maintaining the Stability of the Wetland Ecosystem

During the construction of the wetland park, in accordance with the planned functional layout, we have strived to maintain and preserve the original topography, water systems, lakes, wetland species, and biological communities of the natural ecological functional areas, ensuring the structural and functional integrity of the natural ecosystem. In line with the Wetland Protection Regulations, projects unrelated to ecological construction have been prohibited or banned, and the areas and scope of wetland development and utilization have been strictly controlled. Rare species and native tree species have been effectively protected, and the introduction of alien species has been strictly limited and minimized. Additionally, cooperation with organizations such as Wetlands International has been strengthened to secure more technical support and training opportunities. We have actively cooperated with the Regional Forestry Bureau to conduct comprehensive surveys of wetland wildlife resources within the park and the city, establishing archives. Priority conditions have been created to enhance the protection of rare and endangered flora and fauna.

According to surveys, within the Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park,

(i) Plant Communities: There are 248 species of vascular plants, belonging to 60 families and 152 genera across 3 plant phyla. These include 2 families and 2 genera of 4 species in the Pteridophyta phylum; 1 family and 1 genus of 2 species in the Gymnospermae phylum; and the remaining 57 families, 149 genera, and 242 species in the Angiospermae phylum, of which 88 species are medicinal plants. In the lakes, there are 69 genera of 7 types of plankton: Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta, Chrysophyta, Cryptophyta, Dinophyta, and Euglenophyta. Apart from the woody plants such as willow and tamarisk in the wetlands, the majority consist of herbaceous plants. These mainly include reeds, cattails, water sedge, false pampas grass, needlegrass, barnyard grass, rushes, iris, arrowhead, dwarf bulrush, water plantain, and others, as well as floating and submerged plants such as duckweed, water lettuce, pondweed, bladderwort, and horned pondweed. In addition to naturally distributed plants, a large number of artificially planted trees and shrubs have been introduced, such as Chinese pine, oriental arborvitae, black locust, poplar, willow, oleaster, ailanthus, Chinese toon, and elm.

(2) Wildlife and Microbial Population Levels: The main wildlife in the wetlands of Wuzhong City comprises 6 classes, 24 orders, 47 families, 162 species, and 82 subspecies, accounting for 90% of the total number of wetland wildlife species in the autonomous region (180). Among them, there are 1 order, 1 family, and 2 species of Crustacea; 3 orders, 5 families, and 27 species of Actinopterygii; 1 order, 2 families, and 4 species of Amphibia; 2 orders, 4 families, 7 species, and 2 subspecies of Reptilia; 13 orders, 29 families, 106 species, and 77 subspecies of Aves; and 4 orders, 6 families, 16 species, and 13 subspecies of Mammalia.

(3) Protected Animals: According to the Ramsar Convention, surveys have identified 106 species and 77 subspecies of birds in Wuzhong Wetland Park, accounting for 37.6% of the total number of bird species in Ningxia (282). Among the aforementioned wildlife, there are 6 Class I nationally protected animals: Black Stork, Scaly-sided Merganser, Golden Eagle, Little Bustard, Great Bustard, and White-tailed Sea Eagle. There are also 14 Class II nationally protected animals: Eurasian Spoonbill, Greater White-fronted Goose, Whooper Swan, Tundra Swan, Mandarin Duck, Kite, Northern Goshawk, Upland Buzzard, Steppe Eagle, Amur Falcon, Common Kestrel, and Hooded Crane. There are 30 species under autonomous region-level protection. Resident birds include 19 species and 15 subspecies; summer migratory birds include 45 species and 40 subspecies; passage migrants include 39 species and 22 subspecies; there is 1 winter migratory bird species; and 64 species are breeding birds. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) lists 1 species in Appendix I, 14 species in Appendix II, and 9 species in Appendix III.

IV. Science Education and Publicity

We have installed road signs, wetland knowledge information boards, and warning signs along roads near the park, at entrances and exits, and within the park to facilitate visitor tours. These information boards promote wetland conservation knowledge and raise awareness, embedding the importance of wetland protection in people’s minds. Park staff have set up warning signs around water bodies and arranged management personnel for regular patrols to ensure that any dangers are detected and resolved as quickly as possible, thereby safeguarding the lives and property of visitors. Additionally, we have established an education and publicity center where visitors can gain a comprehensive understanding of the plant and animal resources and wetland knowledge of the Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park through animal and plant specimens and guided explanations.

Wuzhong Yellow River National Wetland Park combines wooden boardwalks with stone step paths. High-quality wooden planks are laid over the lake surface, blending the softness of water with the classic charm of wood, creating a delightful experience that leaves visitors lingering. The stone step paths blend harmoniously with the park’s architecture, reflecting the unique Hui ethnic style and promoting the distinctive ethnic culture.