Bawang River National Wetland Park

Bawang River National Wetland Park

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

The Bawang River National Wetland Park in Jining, Inner Mongolia, is located in the central-southern part of Jining District, Ulanqab City, with a planned total area of 418.24 hectares. The Bawang River is the mother river of Jining and belongs to the Huangqihai water system of Inner Mongolia. In 2010, the Jining District government launched a comprehensive management project for the Bawang River, with a total investment of 3.5 billion yuan. After several years of construction, the ecological environment within the basin has been greatly improved. The development of the Bawang River Wetland Park plays an important role in safeguarding the water environmental safety of the Huangqihai water system, ensuring the water quality and quantity of water conservation areas in China’s semi-arid grassland regions, and protecting habitats for waterfowl.

Construction of the Bawang River Ecological Park began in September 2010 and was fully completed by the end of 2013. During this period, a comprehensive management project was carried out on the 22-kilometer stretch of the Bawang River that flows through Jining. The park now has a water area of 1.13 million square meters and a total water storage capacity of 8.3 million cubic meters, making it one of the key places for local residents to exercise, relax, and enjoy leisure activities.

The Bawang River Ecological Park is the largest water conservancy project in the history of Jining District and also a people-benefiting project aimed at improving the ecological environment, harnessing benefits, eliminating hazards, and bringing benefits to the public. The project is divided into four major parts: river channel, greening, squares, and roads. In terms of river channel management, a reservoir dam and nine other river-blocking structures were built. The water surface area from the reservoir dam to the Beijing–Zhuhai Expressway section has reached nearly 3 million square meters. The water landscape greenbelt stretches 14 kilometers in length and about 1 kilometer in width, covering a greening area of approximately 6.5 million square meters, with 2.2 million evergreen trees, 94,000 deciduous trees, and 6.45 million flowering shrubs planted. Twelve new squares have been constructed, with key ones including the Narsong River Style Garden, Jingzhou Road Square, Shenzhou Square, and Waterfall Square. About 32 kilometers of riverside roads have been completed. The park is divided into three functional sections: the upper section, where both banks are mostly basic farmland, serves as an ecological sightseeing and experience area; the middle section, located within the urban planning area, functions as an urban cultural landscape area; and the lower section, with flat terrain and a relatively wide river channel, is designated as an ecological wetland restoration area. The park has played a significant role in improving the local microclimate, alleviating water shortages, enhancing the living and ecological environments in both urban and rural areas, and elevating the city’s overall image.

During the peak summer tourist season, the park received over 160 visiting delegations from both within and outside the region for urban civilization inspections. During the selection process for the National Civilized City and National Garden City awards, the park showcased Jining District’s renewed image and the profound changes brought about by the city-building efforts.