Taken by Li Mingliang, correspondent from Three Gorges Daily:On December 25th, Zhijiang Golden Lake National Wetland Park passed the national acceptance according to the Notice on the Acceptance of Pilot National Wetland Parks in 2019issued by the State Forestry and Grassland Bureau.

　　The constructionof the Wetland Park started as a pilot project with the approval of the former State Forestry AdministrationinDecember 2014. Over the past five years, it has been purposefully turned intoa “model for wetland protection and a benchmark for ecological restoration and lake governance”by the city under theprinciple of “Comprehensive protection, scientific restoration, reasonable use, and sustainable development.”

　　To fully implement the ecological protection of the wetland, the cityissuedthe Administrative Measures for the Zhijiang Golden Lake National Wetland Parkand compiledthe “Master Plan for the Golden Lake Wetland Park” anddefinedthe boundaries ofthe Wetland Park. Besides, the city alsoset 132 boundary markers or tablets, took back the contracted breeding right of the lake in accordance with the law and established anecological isolation zone within 100 meters along the lake.

　　In order to effectively improve the ecological management of the wetland, City of Zhijiang hired a team of experts from Wuhan University to sow about 7,500 mu(about 1237.5 acres) of submerged plant propagators such as Vallisneria natansand Hydrilla verticillata, and plant about 2000 mu(about 330 acres) of aquatic plants there by adopting the technology of “restoringand rebuildingaquatic plants to purify water quality of the lake.” After one-year management and protection, anaquatic plant community of Golden Lake has been rebuilt, and itsecological balance has been promotedwith itswater quality improved from inferior Ⅴto Ⅳ. In addition,an ecological environment for the wetland has been built in an all-round way including the construction of a5.4-kilometer ecological protection slope, a17-kilometer greenwayaround the lake,a newly addedarea of 778 mu (128.37 acres) as a result of the return of 1,240 mu(about 204.6 acres) of intensive fish ponds to the lake and thesorting out the topographyof600,000 cubic meters of land along the lake, as well as a forestation of 600 mu( about 99 acres)byplanting more than 30,000 trees of all kinds.

　　Through suchcomprehensive treatments, the ecological dividend of thelake wetland gradually appears with itsecological environment improved significantly, which made it a demonstration project for comprehensive management of the “mountain, water, forest, field, lake, and grass” ecosystem in Hubei Province, and won anaward as Beautiful Lake Along Yangtze River Economic Belt whilebecoming a “Back garden” for publicentertainment. Besides, alarge number of rare birds have returned hereto inhabit, with their speciesincreasedto 179, and more than 10,000 of birdslive here daily, making it a veritable “bird station”. (Correspondent Fang Mingmo)