The current status, threats and protection way of Sanjiang Plain wetland, Northeast China

• Published in: Journal of forestry research 2005-06, Vol.16 (2), p.148-152
• Main Authors: Zhi-qiang, Zhou, Tong, Liu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alluvial plains; Aquatic birds; Biodiversity; Capacity development; Environmental restoration; Floodplains; Forestry; Nature reserves; Rural populations; Water conservation; Watershed management; Wetland protection; Wetlands; 三江平原; 流域管理; 生态系统退化; 生活方式; 生物多样性; 自然保护区
• ISSN: 1007-662X; 1993-0607
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02857910

The Sanjiang Plain is a vast area of alluvial floodplains and low hills in northeast Heilongjiang Province. It is the largest tract of wetlands in China and East Asia outside of Siberia. 28 wetland nature reserves exist on the Sanjiang Plain, and three of them have been listed as wetlands of international importance to water bird conservation by the Ramsar Convention Bureau. The wetlands of Sanjiang Plain are noteworthy for its rich biodiversity, but they continue to decline in area and deteriorate in quality currently. The main threats or constrains, immediate cause, root cause and required response are analyzed in this paper, and the four aspects opinion such as improvement of watershed management, enhancement of protection and restoration of habitats and biodiversity, alternative livelihoods of rural residents living in and near natural wetland reserve, and reinforcement of capacity building of natural reserves are brought forward as the effective measures for the Sanjiang Plain wetland protection.