The planning and construction of Baigui Lake National Wetland Park, which will be the first national wetland park in Pingdingshan, was approved by the State Forestry Bureau on April 13, 2011.

According to Li Jiancheng, the director of wetland administration center of municipal Forestry Bureau, a wetland is an area of land where the soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems and are the natural habitat for many species of plants and animals; they have been called “the kidney of the Earth”. Wetlands have great social and economic benefits and serve as natural wastewater purification systems.

The Baigui Lake National Wetland Park will be the fourth national wetland park in Henan province. The government has paid close attention to protect Baigui Lake wetland and programs for comprehensive management were launched in 2007 to prevent sand gathering and certain kinds of fishing.

The Baigui Lake National Wetland Park will be located on the north shore of Baigui Mountain reservoir and covers an area of 6.73 square kilometers. With 4.97 square km of lakes and fishing areas, it is regarded as a typical lacustrine wetland in the Central Plain.

The Baigui Lake National Wetland Park will be constructed in three stages over an eight year span. Using concrete measures, a 2.5 square km wetland will be restored. In addition, a Scientific Popularization Museum, a wetland Botanic Garden, a gallery to display the functions of wetlands and ecological monitoring centers will be established.

Edited by Clark Cahill