Ecological butterfly changes in the wetland in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. Whooper swans and other migratory birds have become frequent visitors

On November 7, the beginning of winter, at 6 a.m., the mist in the Pinglu Yellow River Wetland in Yuncheng, Shanxi, China had not yet cleared, and ranger He Jianxi began his first inspection of the day. On the water, whooper swans that have arrived from Siberia to spend the winter feed freely. He has been accompanying the whooper swans for more than 20 years, making inspections several times a day, which has become his daily routine during the "swan season".

"Every autumn and winter, whooper swans come in batches. There are currently nearly 3,000, and the number will reach a peak of more than 10,000 by the end of December." He Jianxi said that migratory birds are a "barometer" of the ecological environment. The number of whooper swans that come here to spend the winter has increased from a few dozen at the beginning to tens of thousands today. They "vote with their feet" and have witnessed the ecological changes of this wetland.

The wetland along the Yellow River in Yuncheng City is one of the important wetland areas in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and is the main wintering resting place for whooper swans in northern China. In 2012, Pinglu County was awarded the title of “Hometown of Whooper Swans in China” by the China Wildlife Conservation Association. In addition, Pinglu County's ecological restoration of barren hills and mines and land greening over the years have turned the mountains green, the water clear, and the wetland aquatic plants and benthic organisms have recovered. Whooper swans no longer rely solely on artificial feeding.

Starting from 2023, the local government will implement wildlife damage compensation liability insurance, covering situations such as whooper swans damaging lotus seeds and wheat, in order to alleviate the "competition between humans and birds for land". In late September this year, more than 40 acres of wheat were specially planted near the habitat. The wheat seedlings are now available for the whooper swans to forage. "The newly arrived whooper swans are not used to being approached by humans and are a little scared. The 'ration field' we prepared allows them to find food with peace of mind." He Jianxi said.

Shanxi Province is also promoting the ecological protection project of "a clear water flowing into the Yellow River" and coordinating the management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grass and sand systems. In 2025, the average concentration of PM2.5 in the province will drop to 30 micrograms/cubic meter, and the Shanxi section of the main stream of the Yellow River will maintain Class II water quality for four consecutive years.

"The Yellow River flows through eight counties and cities in Yuncheng, and it turns a 90-degree turn here." Zhou Huifang, director of the Biodiversity Conservation Department of the Yuncheng Planning and Natural Resources Bureau, told reporters that the range of migratory bird species and habitats in the wetlands in the middle reaches of the Yellow River is constantly expanding. Compared with the past, whooping swans mainly concentrated in Pinglu County and Ruicheng County during the winter. In recent years, all the counties and cities along the Yellow River such as Hejin, Wanrong, and Yongji have inhabited a variety of migratory birds such as whooper swans, great bustards, black storks, gray cranes, and egrets.

He Jianxi's experience is more intuitive. He has witnessed the transformation of the Pinglu Yellow River Wetland from "people and birds competing for land" to "people retreat and birds advance". The whooper swan has become one of the business cards of Pinglu County. Every winter, there is an endless stream of tourists, and some villagers have opened B&Bs and farmhouses. "Protecting the whooper swan has become the consensus of the locals."