On January 31, the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Inner Mongolia Lao Niu Foundation jointly released the results of a survey of waterbirds and their habitats in the Yellow River basin in Beijing.
135 species of waterfowl of 10 orders and 21 families were recorded in the Yellow River Basin, including 13 species under first class State protection, 21 species under second class State protection, and 19 species under global threat, such as the critically endangered white crane and the blue-headed duck. Fifty-three wetlands of international importance were identified in the Yellow River Basin, 13 of which had protection gaps and needed effective protection measures.
The survey of wetland waterbirds in the Yellow River Basin is relatively backward, there is no systematic survey and monitoring covering the whole basin, and the survey data of waterbirds in the breeding period is even less. From October 2022 to November 2023, the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with Beijing Normal University, Beijing Forestry University, Inner Mongolia University, Jinan University and other universities, as well as local bird-watching associations and environmental public welfare organizations, set up 36 survey teams with a total of 285 people to carry out 5 simultaneous waterbird surveys at 78 survey sites in 9 provinces (autonomous regions) along the Yellow River. The survey covers Qinghai Province, Sichuan Province, Gansu Province, Ningxia Autonomous Region, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shanxi Province, Shaanxi Province, Henan Province and Shandong Province, and covers the complete life history stage in spring, summer, autumn and winter.
This survey is the first simultaneous survey of waterbirds in the Yellow River basin, and the technical specifications and data management methods of waterbirds and habitat survey formulated by the survey are valuable for popularization and application.
The survey not only found out the species, population and habitat status of the main protected waterbirds in the Yellow River basin, but also put forward a series of recommendations on waterbirds and habitat protection. Firstly, it is suggested to improve the monitoring capacity of rare and endangered waterbirds and their habitats in the Yellow River Basin, carry out special surveys of flagship species, find out the dynamic characteristics of population changes and carry out targeted species protection. Secondly, it is suggested to improve the construction of wetland protection land system in the Yellow River Basin and fill the protection gap of key waterbird habitat in the Yellow River basin. Thirdly, it is suggested to implement restoration projects for degraded waterbird habitats in the Yellow River basin, and establish and improve the financing mechanism for wetland restoration in the Yellow River Basin to provide financial guarantee. Fourthly, it is suggested to give full play to the initiative of stakeholders to participate in the protection of waterbirds and habitats, and enhance the capacity of protected area management agencies, environmental protection public welfare organizations and the public to carry out monitoring and protection of waterbirds and habitats.
The wetlands in the Yellow River Basin are located in the western Pacific Ocean, East Asia-Australasia and Central Asia, which are the habitats of many rare and endangered waterbirds and the key areas for the protection of migratory birds in China. In 2021, under the guidance of the Wetland Management Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Paulson Institute and the Inner Mongolia Lao Niu Charity Foundation jointly launched the "Yellow River Basin Wetland Protection Strategy and Priority Actions" project, which aims to systematically assess the status quo of wetlands in the Yellow River Basin and identify protection priority areas. Formulate a strategy and priority action plan for wetland protection in the Yellow River Basin to provide decision-making basis for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. The survey of waterbirds and their habitats in the Yellow River Basin is one of the main tasks of the project. (Zhang Meng)
