As the sun sets in the west, hundreds of birds circle around the Wulong Pavilion in Beihai Park.

“I’m very excited, my old friend is back.” One day in early April, Beijing citizen Zhang Liting quickly recorded the location and number of these birds, and shared the news with her volunteer friends in the WeChat group.

Every spring, Beijing swifts overwintering from southern Africa undergo an epic flight, flying over the Red Sea, crossing Inner Mongolia, and arriving in Beijing, their important habitat and breeding ground.

Zhang Liting is the team leader of the Beihai Park observation point of the Beijing Swift Scientific Survey Project. She and her volunteer partners make a special trip to Beihai Park at least once a week to take photos and record the swift population here, which not only provides basic monitoring data for migratory bird population surveys, but also contributes to the protection of migratory birds.

Every year, billions of migratory birds migrate across continents. Of the nine migratory bird migration routes in the world, four pass through China. On important migratory passages that are related to the survival and reproduction of global migratory bird populations, more and more Chinese people love and protect birds with a sense of shared destiny and the wisdom of ecological innovation. The modern vision of harmonious coexistence between man and nature is becoming palpable and knowable. reality.

Care - building a "migratory bird-friendly" city

Beijing Swift, the common swift Beijing subspecies. In 1870, a British scientist discovered a swift specimen in Beijing for the first time and named this bird with long, narrow wings that resembled a sickle "Beijing Swift".

In the eyes of many Beijing residents like Zhang Liting, Beijing Swift is the “image ambassador” of Beijing. It is the only bird named after "Beijing". The prototype of the 2008 Beijing Olympics mascot "Nini" is the Beijing Swift.

In addition to Beijing swifts, every spring, there are also a large number of migratory birds such as gray cranes, black storks, and herring gulls migrating northward through Beijing via Beijing.

During research and interviews, the reporter found that there are many bird-friendly buildings in Beijing. The Guanting Reservoir National Wetland Park Museum, located northwest of Beijing, is a typical representative. The gaps between the building's skin can allow birds to build nests, and its glass curtain wall has a grid-like design that is more sensitive to bird vision, effectively preventing bird collisions.

In addition, Beijing is also committed to improving the quality of mountainous forests and restoring wetland ecology system that provides necessary habitat, food and water sources for birds. Since 2017, Beijing has built nearly 60 urban forests with "close to nature" characteristics, including artificial bushes and ecological islands.

Volunteers of the Beijing Swift Scientific Survey Project have discovered that more and more swifts are building "new homes" in the gaps between overpasses and skyscrapers. "Yuyan is gradually adapting to Beijing's urban life." Zhang Liting said.

In February this year, China officially launched a national bird migration channel protection action. The National Forestry and Grassland Administration issued the "National Bird Migration Corridor Protection Action Plan (2021-2035)", specifying 1,140 places such as the Ming Tombs Reservoir in Beijing's Changping District and Jiangxi's Poyang Lake as important breeding grounds, wintering grounds and migratory stopovers for migratory birds. .

“With the restoration of the ecological environment and the strengthening of people’s awareness of ecological protection, we hope that in future cities, people and birds can become the best ‘neighbors’ and live in the same area more harmoniously. Under the sky." said Jia Yifei, a young researcher at the East Asian-Australasian Migratory Bird Migration Research Center at Beijing Forestry University.

Guarding - Reviving the Homes of Migratory Birds

Bird migration is a long and dangerous process, with migration distances often reaching thousands of kilometers. Every year from October to April of the following year, the globally endangered black-faced spoonbill, together with tens of thousands of migratory birds, gather to spend the winter in Funing Bay, Luoyuan Bay and other areas along the southeastern coast of China in Fujian.

“It was difficult to see black-faced spoonbills in the past, but now they appear every year, and the number is basically stable at hundreds.” Zheng Zhiwu, a senior birdwatcher in Fujian, said that the wetland environment is improving year by year, and rare birds Classes have also become "frequent visitors".

The reporter saw in Luoyuan Bay that thousands of acres of lush mangroves formed bursts of green waves under the blowing of the sea breeze, separating the tidal flats where birds inhabit from the activity areas of local residents, greatly reducing Impact of human activities on migratory birds.

Yu Sun, a resident near Luoyuan Bay Li told reporters that local villagers have relied on the sea for generations, and aquaculture is the main industry. Improper breeding practices have affected the habitat of local waterbirds, and the ecological balance was once destroyed.

In order to revitalize the wetland, the local government has implemented marine ecological protection and restoration projects, transforming a large number of breeding ponds into high-tide waterbird habitats. Many bird-watching planks have also been built in nearby fishing villages, and ecological bird-watching tourism has become the "new business card" of local development.

Yu Sunli opened a restaurant near Luoyuan Bay Mangrove Wetland Park. "The ecology of Luoyuan Bay has improved in recent years, which has not only made it a paradise for migratory birds and bird lovers, but also brought tangible benefits to us local people." Yu Sunli said.

From excessive demands on nature to respect for natureWith careful care, the development of Luoyuan Bay is a microcosm of China's comprehensive promotion of wetland protection and restoration.

Since joining the Ramsar Convention in 1992, China has successively passed the "Wetland Protection Law of the People's Republic of China" and multiple local wetland protection regulations, building a legal barrier for wetland protection.

Currently, China has 82 internationally important wetlands, ranking fourth in the world in terms of area; 13 cities have been awarded the title of International Wetland City, and more than 600 wetland nature reserves and more than 900 national wetland parks have been established. Wetlands account for more than 50% of various types of natural protected areas.

“Year after year, migratory birds return. The living environment of birds has improved, and more and more people are protecting and loving birds. This is the change and power brought about by social progress.” Zheng Zhiwu said.

Cooperation - a shared destiny that transcends time and space

Spoon-billed Sandpipers are the rarest on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, the world's busiest lifeline for migratory birds. One of the waterfowl. During migration, Spoon-billed Sandpipers will stop in areas such as Dongtai Tiaozini Wetland in Yancheng, Jiangsu and Beijiatujiao in Zhanjiang, Guangdong to forage for food and replenish their feathers.

"The characteristics of the migration of migratory birds, It determines that its protection results are closely related to every link along the passage. The East Asia-Australasia Bird Migration Corridor involves more than 20 countries and regions, and strengthening international cooperation is a must." said the director of the Beijing Entrepreneurs Environmental Protection Foundation said Guan Lei, project manager of Niaofei.

The reporter learned that currently, the protection of migratory bird migration corridors still faces challenges such as habitat fragmentation, insufficient financial investment, and imbalances between regions.

“Only by leveraging global forces to protect migratory bird habitats and promote the construction of a community of life can we provide more effective protection for migratory birds,” Jia Yifei said.

At present, China has signed bilateral agreements on the protection of migratory birds with Japan, South Korea, Australia, Russia, New Zealand and other countries, and is carrying out international cooperation around the East Asia-Australasia Waterbird Partnership and other related content, and is actively Participate in the “One Belt, One Road” migratory bird protection work.

Jia Yifei introduced that in the project to save the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, the Chinese scientific research team actively participated in the investigation and protection of breeding and wintering grounds in Russia, Myanmar and other countries along the migration route, organized simultaneous surveys and monitoring, and carried out breeding Local management education and training and expert technical services have achieved good results.

In 2019, China’s Yellow (Bohai) Sea Migratory Bird Habitat Heritage Application (Phase I) was officially included in the WorldWorld Heritage List", becoming one of only two intertidal wetland heritage sites in the world.

Guan Lei said: "This achievement not only helps promote the global joint protection of the East Asia-Australasia Bird Flyway, but also injects strong impetus into building a community of life on earth."

< p>Another thing that gratifies migratory bird guardians is that younger generations continue to join the ranks of bird lovers. In Beijing, Zhang Liting has an extra partner during her weekly Swift survey—her 13-year-old daughter.

“I believe that the figure of Beijing Swift will also become a beautiful memory of the sky for the next generation.” Zhang Liting said.