A view of the Guipanhu wetland park in Foshan, Guangdong province. [Photo provided to China Daily]
This year marks the 30th anniversary of China joining the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat. Tourism players in the country have responded to the nation's call to preserve wetlands.
The Overseas Chinese Town has played a positive role in preserving wetlands and turning them into ideal public leisure and learning sites over the years.
The OCT national wetland park in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, is home to 50,000 square meters of mangrove forests, and 800 species of plants and animals. It has been a getaway for visitors to chill and get in touch with nature.
Children take a nature learning course at a domestic wetland. [Photo provided to China Daily]
In 2007, OCT was entrusted by the Shenzhen government to manage the wetlands, and thus began a 10-year-long process of protective restoration and sustainable enhancement.
"The water in the pond had a terrible smell and we locals used to avoid it," says a resident surnamed Li.
"We never thought the environment could be this good," Li adds.
The OCT wetland park in Shenzhen is a heaven for birds. [Photo provided to China Daily]
In 2016, the tourism player also worked with the Donghu scenic area in Wuhan, Hubei province, and finished restoring its wetland system. It has helped the area attract more than 12,000 visitors on a daily basis during holidays.
In the past 10 years, China has implemented more than 3,400 wetland protection and restoration projects, adding and restoring more than 800,000 hectares of wetlands.
A late autumn scene at the OCT wetland park in Wuhan, Hubei province. [Photo provided to China Daily]
