Yancheng looks to ecological restoration, new energy industry

Every August, a spectacle heralding the start of migratory birds' annual autumn migration unfolds at the enchanting Yellow Sea Wetland in Yancheng, Jiangsu province.

These birds stop over at this natural haven en route from East Asia to Australasia. Every year, like clockwork, millions of them flock to Yancheng's marshy wetland, seeking solace from the frigid winters gripping the rest of the region.

The wetland, which covers 188,643 hectares and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019, provides high-quality habitats for 17 species of migratory bird on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

Starting on Monday, the three-day 2023 World Coastal Forum, an international platform for coastal ecological protection and sustainable development, will be held in Yancheng. Some 400 representatives from domestic and foreign governments, UN agencies, international organizations and academic institutions will attend the forum.

The Tiaozini Wetland, which is part of the Yellow Sea Wetland, welcomes 200,000 to 300,000 migratory birds every year.

Nearly half the world's spoon-billed sandpipers spend two to three months at the wetland, eating sufficient food and storing enough energy to fly to their winter habitat. With a body length of only 14 to 16 centimeters, these birds are the approximate size of a human fist. Their black mouths, shaped like a small rice spoon, are considered adorable by many bird watchers.

Li Dongming, a photographer who has captured images of the birds at Yancheng for years, said: "These cute creatures have a high-standard living environment. In recent years, with the abundance of fish, shrimp and shellfish, and environmental improvements, we photographers have been able to take more pictures of these creatures.

"Since Yancheng's application for a World Heritage Site listing was approved, local and national governments have intensified their efforts to protect the area. For example, we have seen the number of Nordmann's greenshank rise steadily in recent years."

As birds descend on the picturesque wetland, they bear witness to Yancheng's ecological conservation efforts. The wetland not only serves as a sanctuary for the birds, but also stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment to a green and low-carbon future.

Wang Weiguo, deputy director of Yancheng's Dongtai Coastal Economic Zone management committee, said he is deeply impressed by the rising numbers of Nordmann's greenshank, an endangered species that views the wetland as home.

"International researchers estimated that only 600 of these endangered birds remained in existence in 2012," Wang said.

"However, the number we have discovered exceeds expectations, with 1,560 of the birds observed at the wetland this year. The numbers reach new heights every year — the best proof of the thriving environment at the wetland."

The Yancheng authorities' remarkable achievements in environmental protection and their commitment to a green and low-carbon transformation have played critical roles in the resurgence of avian species.

Yancheng is the only prefecture-level city in China to boast two national wetland nature reserves, two wetlands of international importance and a world natural heritage site.

Yancheng has two national wetland parks — Jiulongkou and Dazonghu — and has allocated an area of 416,000 hectares for wetland protection.

Firm commitment

Yancheng's Green Port is poised to play a pivotal role in reducing carbon emissions, with the first phase of China National Offshore Oil Corp's Jiangsu Binhai Liquefied Natural Gas Project starting operation this month.

Based on an annual processing capacity of 6 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas, the Green Port will use eco-friendly solutions each year to provide enough gas for residents in Jiangsu to use for 28 months.

Xu Bin, deputy Party chief of Yancheng Green Energy Port, said the port is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 37.64 million tons annually.

"This reduction is equivalent to the positive environmental impact of planting 80 million trees," he added.

Committed to building a new energy industry, Yancheng is focusing on expanding and strengthening its wind power and photovoltaic industries. One particular project that stands out is an offshore wind farm in the city's Dafeng district.

Power generated by wind turbine blades is transformed into electricity before being transmitted through underwater cables to a booster station connected to the power grid, ensuring that electricity reaches thousands of households.

Zhou Bin, secretary of the Communist Party of China's Yancheng Committee, said earlier this year that the city's installed new energy capacity had surpassed 13 million kilowatts, and it is being accelerated to reach 20 million kW, with an industrial scale of 200 billion yuan ($27.5 billion).

"As the first city in the Yangtze River Delta region to generate tens of millions of kilowatts of new energy power, Yancheng's offshore wind power generation accounts for nearly half the province's total and 20 percent of the national total," Zhou said.

"Renowned for having the largest green area in the Delta region, Yancheng consistently achieves the best air quality in Jiangsu, ranking among the top cities nationwide in this respect. Every breath we take in Yancheng refreshes our lungs, and every step we make brings us a sense of relaxation.

"Yancheng boasts the longest coastline, largest coastal mud flats area, broadest sea area, and the most extensive development hinterland in Jiangsu. We are committed to embracing a higher level of openness to the outside world, with the aim of building a city that is ecologically green and livable."

Efforts have been made in recent years to restore degraded and arid coastal wetlands in the Tiaozini Wetland. Ecological restoration work has been carried out along a 27.6 km stretch of land, with more than 4,000 hectares of wetlands restored.

Wang, the deputy director, said: "Our goal is to enhance the quality, stability and service functions of coastal ecosystems. We aim to restore habitats for rare and endangered migratory birds, enhance the diversity of species, and establish the Dongtai coastal area as a globally recognized model for the protection of coastal wetlands."

To enhance public engagement with wetlands and world heritage sites, the authorities in Yancheng have repurposed the city's old railway station as the Yellow Sea Wetland Museum to provide an immersive experience for visitors.

A series of textbooks on wetlands aimed at primary and middle school students has also been introduced to further nurture a sense of environmental protection among the younger generation.

Microbe research

Irina Druzhinina, a microbiologist at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, has been researching microbes at the wetland.

Microbes can break down polycaprolactone, a polymer widely used in medicine, packaging and 3D printing.

She worked on this project near the Yellow Sea coast during a four-year stint at Nanjing Agricultural University. In July, a paper published by Druzhinina and her fellow researchers in the Journal of Hazardous Materials detailed the high number of discoveries made by the international team working in the salt marsh ecosystem at the wetland.

"From a microbiological point of view, it's an interesting place, which acts as a borderline between marine and terrestrial habitats. It has helpful marine-specific factors such as salinity, but also a rich carbon supply, so the microbes in the wetland are highly diverse," Druzhinina said.

"There was no single moment of discovery. Because of the conditions, we already knew that the area had great potential in terms of what we might find there... but to discover 184 fungal and 55 bacterial strains capable of breaking down polycaprolactone was quite astonishing."

These plastic-degrading microorganisms were sampled in May 2021 in Dafeng.

Despite the many advantages plastics offer, plastic pollution has become a major international problem that desperately needs solutions.

Scientists have long been aware that enzymes found in some fungi and bacteria have the potential to contribute to plastic degradation.

Druzhinina said, "Discovering bacteria and fungi capable of degrading polycaprolactone was not entirely unexpected, but the number of microorganisms we uncovered in this study surpassed initial expectations."

She added that the research and understanding of these potential applications is "just at a starting point ... but I can see that there is quite a bright future."