CBCGDF-OceanWetlands Submitted 7 Suggestions | "Wetland Protection and Development Plan for Shunyi District, Beijing (2024-2035) (Draft for Comments)"

 

On December 25, 2024, the relevant departments released the "Wetland Protection and Development Plan for Shunyi District, Beijing (2024-2035) (Draft for Comments)" for public consultation. The OceanWetlands Group of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) responded positively to the call, and after careful study & discussion, finally submitted the following 7 suggestions for reference in its scientific decision-making. The details are as follows:

1. [General suggestion] It is recommended that the consideration of “native species” be included. Currently the document does not mention the concept of “native species”.

(1) Native species are species that have been adapted to the local ecological environment for a long time, and they have a deep symbiotic relationship with the wetland ecosystem. In the process of wetland restoration and reconstruction, prioritizing the selection of native species can better restore the ecological function of the wetland and improve its stability.

(2) The concept of “native species” can better guide the specific implementation work by clearly mentioning it in the plan. This can help: 1) avoid blindly introducing alien species and reduce ecological risks; 2) protect local biodiversity and maintain the uniqueness of the wetland; 3) enhance the stability and sustainability of the wetland ecosystem.

(3) A lesson learned: Some experts and volunteers once told the CBCGDF Wetland Working Group about the rapid disappearance of tens of thousands of  睡菜(Menyanthes trifoliate) in the Tian Songying area of Yanqing District, Beijing, due to the drainage improvement project.  睡菜(Menyanthes trifoliate) is a local species in Beijing, a white and beautiful plant that can be used for landscaping and water features, with a high capacity to absorb heavy metal pollutants, which can be used to restore the ecological function of wetlands and is beneficial to environmental protection. However, due to habitat shrinkage and habitat destruction,  睡菜 (Menyanthes trifoliate) is facing existential threats and its distribution range has been drastically reduced. There are many similar cases.

Photo credit: Liu Huajie, CBCGDF CCAfa

2. [General Suggestion] It is recommended to introduce the concept of “wetland ecological security pattern”.

Reason: The concept of“wetland ecological security pattern”should be introduced into the Draft to clarify the core area, buffer zone and transition zone for wetland protection, so as to provide a clear spatial planning basis for wetland protection and to ensure that the integrity and function of the ecosystem will not be damaged.

3. [General suggestion] It is recommended that the concept of “wilderness” be introduced and a certain proportion of “wilderness” areas be left in the plan.

Reason: Leaving a certain proportion of “wilderness” area can maintain the original appearance of the wetland ecosystem and the natural succession process. With less human intervention, these “wilderness” areas can become natural laboratories for ecological restoration, helping to conserve biodiversity and ecological stability, and at the same time provide refuge for species, ensuring the self-regulation and long-term sustainability of the wetland ecosystem. In addition, this type of nature conservation can help to improve the ecological resilience of wetlands, enhance their ability to cope with climate change and environmental pressures, and provide a more solid foundation for ecological conservation.

A Wetland Park in Daxing, Beijing. Photo by Samantha ©CBCGDF-"OceanWetlands"

4. [General suggestion] It is recommended to explicitly encourage citizen science and bottom-up public provision of biodiversity data.

【Reason】 Citizen Science, the process of public participation in scientific research, has great potential in wetland conservation. Incorporating Citizen Science into the Draft has quite a number of benefits. 1) Citizens are located everywhere, and their participation can expand the scope of data collection and fill in the gaps of professional surveys, especially for some remote or hard-to-reach areas. 2) Citizens can make observations and records more frequently and provide more continuous and detailed data, which can reflect the dynamic changes of wetlands in a more comprehensive way.  3) It is also a good education, science popularization and practice. Through the Citizen Science Program, the government, scientific research institutions and the public can be closely linked together to form a synergy to jointly protect wetlands.

Beijing Swifts in Beihai Park, Beijing.  Photography by Linda ©CBCGDF- “OceanWetlands”

5. [General suggestion] It is suggested to add provisions against illegal fishing of aquatic organisms and illegal wildlife trade (IWT).

[Reason] In order to protect the wetland ecosystem of Shunyi District more comprehensively and to safeguard biodiversity, it is urgent to add specific provisions against illegal fishing of aquatic organisms and illegal trade in wildlife (IWT) in the Plan.

Overfishing against these aquatic organisms will damage wetland biodiversity, ecological functions and affect the living environment of other aquatic organisms.

6. [Specific Recommendation] [In Table 2-1] It is recommended that evaluation indicators for indicator species be added to more comprehensively measure the effectiveness of wetland conservation. For example, insects such as the 低斑蜻 (Libellula angelina) can be added to the monitoring system as indicator species of wetland health, and their population size and diversity can be used as indicators of the effectiveness of small and micro wetland conservation.

[Reason] Monitoring the changes of these indicator species can more accurately reflect the restoration status of wetland ecosystems, especially the ecological function restoration of small and micro wetlands. This ecological monitoring tool will help to supplement the existing hard indicators such as wetland area and protection rate, providing a more detailed and dynamic basis for conservation assessment.

Recommendation 7: It is recommended that the period of Draft for comments be extended to 30 days. In accordance with article 15 of the Interim Regulations on Procedures for Making Major Administrative Decisions, the period for public consultation (on matters of major administrative decision-making) is generally not less than 30 days; if the period needs to be shortened for reasons such as the urgency of the situation, this shall be indicated when public consultation is conducted.

The draft-for-comments period is currently only 4-5 days (working days), the public could easily miss the opportunity to make valuable suggestions.

It is recommended to extend the public consultation period, so that more public can have sufficient time to react and discuss, and feedback their opinions, so that the act of soliciting opinions can actually be put into practice rather than being a formality; and on the basis of brainstorming and fully reflecting the wisdom of the people, to form a more comprehensive, perfect, feasible and effective ten-year development plan on wetland protection (2024-2035),  thus truly realizing wetland protection and promoting the mainstreaming of biodiversity.

(Note: This article is a record of our daily work, for reference only.)