Breathing new life into lakes

Tourism town

Some 1,500 km away in Wuhan, Hubei province, a tourism town opened in November has similarly capitalized on ecological restoration.

The Chenhu International Town project, which began construction early this year, is located in Caidian district, and is strategically positioned beside the Chenhu wetland.

The Chenhu wetland, designated as an internationally important wetland in 2013, plays a crucial role in flood storage and regulation, species conservation and regional climate adjustment.

Back in the 1960s, however, due to an underdeveloped economic situation, land reclamation and lake filling plagued the region, shrinking the wetland area by about two-thirds, said Tan Wenzhuo, a worker from the Chenhu Wetland Nature Reserve.

Since 2019, systematic, large-scale restoration efforts have been undertaken at the reserve, encompassing a series of measures such as ridge removal, waterway dredging, native vegetation planting and bird habitat enhancement, Tan said.

The wetland area in the reserve now spans 8,133 hectares, with more than 70 percent being natural wetland. Recent monitoring has indicated increasing trends in both the diversity and amount of animals in the area. As of the end of last year, 585 animal species were recorded, including 301 bird species, Tan said.

Taking advantage of the outcomes of wetland restoration, the Chenhu International Town project has the overarching goal of transforming ecological resource advantages into green development benefits.

"The planning, design and construction of the project prioritizes ecological and cultural protection," said Cai Xiaofei, who led the construction work.

Cai said an origami-inspired bird-shaped pavilion designed to seamlessly integrate with wetland birdwatching, along with a C-shaped building that hugs the mountain terrain to form an ecological buffer zone, achieves harmonious coexistence between architecture and nature.

A smart monitoring system enables visitors to engage in real-time observation of rare species such as the Oriental storks and Dalmatian pelicans without disturbing them, Cai added.

"Leveraging its unique wetland ecological features and diverse cultural tourism offerings, the town is projected to attract one to two million visitors every year," he said, adding that part of the revenue will be used for wetland conservation and migratory bird habitat enhancement.

The project is expected to create more than 100 jobs, with priority given to hiring local residents, he said.

Because of the project, Zhang Ziling, 23, who previously worked outside the area as a calligraphy teacher, has returned to work locally. "The job offers a shorter commute, a more stable salary and greater career advancement opportunities," Zhang said.

Contact the writers at limenghan@chinadaily.com.cn