It is a corner of the Tianlongwan National Wetland Park in Yidu City on March 27.

　　The Tianlongwan National Wetland Park is a national-level one. The park covers an area of 1239.5 hectares and the planned area involves Gaobazhou Town and Wuyanquan Town, in which there are rich forest resources and wildlife resources. The park to be completed has the functions of preservation, scientific research, education and tourism.

　　Photo by Reporter Wang Changming

According to Yidu Forestry Bureau,the park recently restored the wetland vegetation in Baiyanao Village, Gaobazhou Town; marking the first wetland park of Yichang to be officially built.

　　What is the area of the park?

　　The park covers more than a thousand hectares and is located in two villages.

The wetland vegetation is being restored in the park where the beautiful natural environment gives one the aspiration to stay for a longer period of time.

　　In 2010, experts from the Wetland Management Center of the State Forestry Bureau investigated on the spot, they examined and approved “the Overall Planning of Hubei Tianlongwan National Wetland Park”. According to the planning, the park covers more than a thousand hectares and is located in Baiyanao Village, Gaobazhou Town and Shimen Village, Wuyanquan Town, said Xu Shaodong, a Section Chief of the Science and Education and Industry Department of Yidu Forestry Bureau.    

　　When is the park completed?

　　The predicted completion time is in 2015.

　　According to the planning, the Wetland Park consists of five main areas: the conservation area, the redevelopment area, the utilization area, the exhibition area and the management and service area. It is to be invested about 60 million Yuan, self-raised by Yidu Administration used for different projects:  the protection project, restoring the project, the project of science popularization, the monitoring project of science research, the rational utilization project, the disaster prevention project, the planning of protecting the basic ability of management and the planning of foundation project.  

      The construction period is set from 2010 to 2015, during the early days of which (from 2010 to 2012) the main construction task was mainly done to protect the water source, the river system and the wildlife dwelling place of restoration. In the present days, the construction is targeting to complete the road construction in the park and the surroundings, to improve the management system of protecting the wetland park, the monitoring system of science and research, the system of science popularization, the construction of tourism service facilities and management service facilities, and cooperation and communication at home and abroad.             　　

　　How is it going?

　　Now parts of scenic spots have been built up.

　　The present first-stage of the project aims at the restoration of reconstruction and rational utilization. During the construction, it focuses on the implementation of wasteland vegetation restoration. The eco-friendly and economic wetland helps a lot for recovering flood plain wetland plants, enhancing its ability to resist pollution and pollution discharge, improving the water quality and optimizing the environment of the wetland.

　　Besides, some attractions have been completed or are about to be completed. The under construction Yang Shoujing Academy and the built-up Clearwater Bay Resort, Golden Sand Beach, Non-material Cultural Expo, Zhihui Square, Celebrity Avenue, Wisdom Maze, Planetarium and other science and ecological tourist attractions highlight the wetland park.

　　How to get there?

　　There are two ways.

　　According to Xu Shaodong, there are two ways to Tianlong Bay, the first one is by Han-Yi Expressway via Yichang Yangtze Bridge to Yidu City and then passing through Honghuatao Town to the Dam of Gaobazhou Power Station and then get into the park; the second one is passing through Wuyanquan Town of Yidu City and then get into the park. “No matter which way you take, it is only one hour drive or so from Yichang.”

　　Xu said, after the wetland park is completed, more than 120 sorts of plants and 30 kinds of wild animals will inhabit here, and the 3 gregarious residences will be the 3000 egrets’ perched paradise. In the near future, the scene of “Sunset and the egrets fly together, the river and sky come to mingle with each other” will be the iconic scenery of the wetland park.

　　Wetland, along with the forest and the ocean is called the world’s three major ecosystems, known as the kidney of the earth, the natural reservoir and the natural species pool. In 2010, experts from the Wetland Management Center of the State Forestry Bureau investigated on the spot, then examined and approved “the Overall Planning of Hubei Tianlongwan National Wetland Park”.  The experts concluded that Tianlong Bay and Wetland Park possess important natural resources, therefore, the Wetlands Park should be brought into the national pilot projects.

　　(Reporter Li Pengfei, Correspondent Ke Xiaoyu, Xu Pengcheng)