By LI Linxu

Thanks to the improving ecological environment, an ever increasing number of migratory birds are choosing the Qinghai Longbaotan Wetlands as their winter habitats.

The Qinghai Longbaotan Wetlands, located within the Longbao National Nature Reserve in Yushu city, Qinghai province, covers a total area of 9,529 hectares, with a wetland area of 3,349 hectares.

It is the first conservation area in China primarily focused on protecting the breeding grounds of the black-necked crane, and also plays an important role as a breeding and resting site for migratory birds on the Central Asian Flyway.

In 2023, the site was listed as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

The Qinghai Longbaotan Wetlands optimizes the province's continuous efforts to scientifically manage and protect its wetlands.

Last year, three wetlands in Qinghai were newly added to the list of Wetlands of National Importance by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

A view of the Bird Island wetland at Qinghai Lake in Qinghai province. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

The province is home to the Sanjiangyuan area, known as the country's "water tower," containing the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang Rivers.

As a major wetland province, Qinghai possesses an area of 7.123 million hectares of wetlands, accounting for 12.64 percent of the country's total, according to the latest statistics.

In recent years, the province has rolled out a series of policies as well as a package of measures to advance the conservation of wetlands.

It is among the first provinces to establish a mechanism of wetland conservation and public interest judiciary at the provincial level.

Last year, the province's Bureau of Forestry and Grassland, together with 18 other provincial government bodies, launched a joint meeting mechanism to protect its wetlands.

It also released an implementation plan to carry out the country's wetland protection law, and completed the formulation of the province's wetland conservation plan (2022-2030), as well as an implementation plan to conserve and restore the wetlands in the Yellow River Basin of Qinghai Province (2022-2030). Meanwhile, it has also set up a pool of wetland experts, which numbers 68 at present.

Due to making such great strides in wetland conservation, more and more migratory birds are expected to fly to Qinghai's wetlands to spend the winter.