There are nearly 10,000 species of birds living on the earth, and more than one-third of them have migratory habits. They travel between their breeding grounds and wintering grounds in a seasonal cycle, and the collection of paths they pass through each year is known as the "migratory bird flyway". There are nine major flyways for migratory birds in the world, four of which pass through the continent. On June 27, the reporter learned that the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments jointly issued the "China Action Plan for the Protection and Restoration of Migratory Bird Flyways (2024-2030)", in which Luya Mountain in our province, as one of the key habitats, will implement habitat restoration.
Four migratory bird flyways pass through the mainland
The continent has a vast territory, complex topography, diverse climate, and rich natural ecosystem types, which provide unique conditions for the survival and reproduction of birds and natural evolution. According to statistics, there are more than 1,500 species of birds on the mainland, which is one of the countries with the richest bird diversity in the world, of which there are more than 800 species of migratory birds, accounting for about 53% of the country's bird species.
There are nine major flyways for migratory birds in the world, four of which pass through China: the East Asia-Australasia Flyway, the Central Asia Flyway, the West-East Africa Flyway, and the Western Pacific Flyway. Among these four corridors, involving the North China region to which our province belongs, they are the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and the Central Asia Flyway.
Among them, the East Asian-Australasian flyway mainly covers Northeast China, North China, Central China, East China, South China, South China Sea, and parts of Southwest and Northwest China, with more than 280 species of migratory waterbirds and more than 510 species of migratory land birds passing through this channel, including spoon-billed sandpiper, red-crowned crane, curly-feathered pelican, Oriental white stork and Chinese merganser, etc., and representative land birds such as great bustard, red-winged green dove and yellow-breasted bunting. There are more than 180 species of waterbirds and more than 420 species of land birds involved in the Central Asian Flyway Passage in the central and western regions of the continent, including black-necked cranes, bar-headed geese and demoiselle cranes, and representative land birds such as falcons, jade-banded sea eagles and yellow-throated bee-eaters.
According to the action plan, by 2030, 90% of the key habitats of migratory bird flyways in mainland China will be included in the scope of effective protection, forming a relatively complete national migratory bird flyway protection network. The habitat quality of key habitats on the flyway has been significantly improved, the nature-based habitat adaptation management system has been preliminarily completed, the number of migratory birds in key habitats has remained stable or increased, the national survey and monitoring system for birds and their habitats has been basically completed, the technical level has been significantly improved, the site layout has been more balanced, and more than 80% of migratory bird species have been effectively monitored.
Habitat restoration will be implemented in Luyashan and other places
The reporter learned from Taiyuan Zoo that our province belongs to the migration and wintering area of the Yellow River Basin in the central migratory bird migration channel, which is divided into the eastern Taihang Mountain migratory bird migration area, the central Sanggan River-Fenhe waterbird migration area, and the western Luliang Mountain-Yellow River migratory bird migration area. Migratory birds migrate southward from mid-October to late November every year, and northward migration from late February to late April of the following year. There are 426 species of birds in Shanxi, including 344 species of migratory birds, including bustards, black storks, gray cranes, whooper swans, whooper swans, wild geese, falcons, etc., storks, cranes, geese and ducks, plovers, falcons, and other migratory waterbirds and forest birds.
The key habitat of the migratory bird flyway included in the action plan in our province is mainly Luya Mountain, and habitat restoration is mainly implemented.
Habitat restoration is based on the migration and dispersal trend of migratory birds, connecting the migration corridors between habitats. Through measures such as vegetation restoration and water system connectivity, we will create a stepping stone connecting different life history stages and improve the level of communication between migratory bird populations. Scientifically carry out micro-landform transformation and native vegetation restoration, strengthen vegetation shading and expand food source functions, and enrich habitat types. On the basis of satisfying flood control safety, the embankment should be stabilized with vegetation or imitation natural shoreline as much as possible to increase the complexity and naturalness of nearshore habitats. In response to these problems, North China will strengthen water system connectivity, improve hydrological and water quality, close mountains and ban grazing according to local conditions, control human disturbance, promote vegetation restoration, and implement habitat restoration for 46 key habitats.
According to the zoogeographic division of mainland China, the country can be divided into seven zoogeographic regions: Northeast China, North China, Mongolia, Qinghai-Tibet, Southwest, Central and South China. Considering the number of threatened migratory bird species, the proportion of migratory bird populations in the global (flyway) and the number of migratory birds, 821 key habitats of migratory bird flyways were screened. By comprehensively strengthening protection management and ecological restoration, the overall coordinated protection of the four migratory bird flyways in mainland China has been realized.
Our province is located in North China, which includes Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shandong, southern Hebei, central Shaanxi, southern Gansu, northern Henan, northern Anhui and northern Jiangsu, and is divided into two sub-regions: the Huanghuai Plain and the Loess Plateau, and the main body is located in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. There are 162 key habitats in the area, which are distributed in the Yellow River and Huaihe River basins, as well as Funiu Mountain, Taihang Mountain and Yanshan Mountain. Representative migratory birds include the white crane, the Oriental white stork, the black stork, the relict gull, the great bustard, the Baer's Pochard and the common swift. However, at present, the runoff of some rivers and tributaries in North China is decreasing, the pollution is serious, the ecological function of wetlands is degraded, the area is shrinking, the plant community structure in some areas is relatively simple, the vegetation is degraded, and the biodiversity is damaged, so habitat restoration is needed.
It is reported that in addition to Luya Mountain, there are Huliu River, Sanggan River, Cangtou River, Yellow River Wetland in Hequ County, Wutai Mountain, Fen River, Pangquangou, Lishan, Taikuan River and other places.
Our province has opened the "human-bird-friendly" mode
According to the action plan, our province will enhance the awareness of bird love and bird protection, rely on the landscape and natural conditions of various nature reserves, migratory bird habitats, follow the concept of green, low-carbon and sustainable, and support the construction of outdoor experience facilities such as bird watching spots, propaganda and education points, and popular science trails, so as to provide the public with opportunities to get close to nature and experience nature. At the same time, we should select key habitats with a good foundation for construction, develop distance education experience platforms such as cloud experience and webcast, and enrich the supply path of migratory bird protection and education products. Carry out online and offline publicity on the protection of migratory birds, organize bird watching lectures and other activities, and enhance the awareness of bird love and protection in the whole society.
Our province will also build human-bird-friendly communities, encourage the exploration of green planting and breeding models around key habitats, gradually establish and improve the compensation system for migratory bird protection, and effectively mobilize the enthusiasm of the whole society to participate in the protection of migratory birds. Promote the development of bird-watching, eco-tourism and other human-friendly industries according to local conditions, actively explore and promote creative products, design bird IP, and create and extend the bird protection industry chain. Combined with the construction of livable, workable and beautiful villages, the natural landscape and ecological environment of the community will be optimized, and the development of human-bird-friendly communities will be promoted in an all-round way.
Through the joint efforts of our province, the concept of protecting migratory birds and harmonizing people and birds will be more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the social atmosphere of loving and protecting birds will be fully formed, promoting the transformation of the mainland from a participant in the global migratory bird protection work to a leader.
Source: Shanxi Evening News client