Wang Haolan

Holly_cn@163.com

AMIDST the biannual bird migration along the East Asia-Australasia Flyway, the remarkable journey of a diminutive avian creature has sparked widespread fascination. Revered as the spoon-billed sandpiper, this critically endangered wader, with a global population of only 800, is regarded as one of the “flagship species” for the protection of wetland ecosystems along the flyway.

The protection of spoon-billed sandpipers and other flagship species, and the dissemination of relevant knowledge, was one of the focal points of the first China Mangrove CEPA (communication, capacity building, education, participation and awareness) International Symposium held in UpperHills, Futian District on Thursday.

Envisioned by The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the ongoing CEPA program, in its fourth edition, will remain effective through 2024.

The symposium, slated to be held every year in Futian District, brought together government officials and global wetland conservation experts.

Protecting

wetlands in cities

At the symposium, delegates from wetland centers in the U.K., Singapore and China’s Hong Kong and Shenzhen offered insights into the planning and management of urban wetland centers, shedding light on their pivotal role in strengthening community outreach endeavors.

Connor Walsh, international engagement officer at Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) in the U.K., said the trust’s London Wetland Center was renovated from a disused reservoir in Barnes and has “proximity” to key resources, authorities and opinion leaders.

“Having a wetland center based in London means being close to universities and scientists and their expertise, government policymakers who want to launch something related to environmental education, and celebrities and philanthropists who may be attracted to the park for a visit and thus support our work.”

Since the inception of Hong Kong’s Mai Po Nature Reserve in 1983, nurturing environmental awareness has remained a pivotal aspect of its endeavors, according to Yamme Leung, director of education at WWF (World Wildlife Foundation)-Hong Kong.

“Our aim is to enlighten every individual about Hong Kong’s multifaceted identity — not solely as a global metropolis but also as an oasis teeming with diverse wildlife,” he said.

Everyone counts

The 16 Mangrove Wetland Education Promotion Ambassadors appointed at the symposium consisted of 13 local school principals and three representatives from firms, media and showbiz, which showed the driving power of individuals in raising public awareness and disseminating knowledge related to wetland conservation.

On Oct. 8, 2022, the second World Migratory Bird Day, Shenzhen Mangrove Wetlands Conservation Foundation (MCF) released a video on its social media accounts of actor Wang Kai’s expedition to the stopover of spoon-billed sandpipers at Tiaozini Wetland in East China’s Jiangsu Province, which has been viewed over 13 million times so far. Wang has been serving as the ambassador of MCF’s Saving Spoon-billed Sandpiper campaign since 2020.

Young people need to get  more involved and be trained for the wetland conservation,  Chris Rostron, WWT’s international engagement manager, said.

Cooperation

essential

On Friday, around 60 delegates took a tour to Futian Mangrove Ecological Park, Futian Mangrove National Nature Reserve, and OCT Wetland in Nanshan District. Guo Xiaoying with Guangxi Biodiversity Research and Conservation Association attentively surveyed her surroundings through her binoculars along the Moon Tao educational trail at OCT Wetland.

Guo saw the symposium as a good opportunity to promote cross-regional cooperation in wetland conservation.

Leung also shared his opinions on the cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong on the conservation of Deep Bay (Shenzhen Bay) with Shenzhen Daily.

“When the Futian nature reserve planned to transform the abandoned fishponds into bird habitats, they invited experts from Mai Po to provide suggestions,” Leung explained. “We also gained knowledge from Futian regarding the effective use of sluices to regulate the flow of freshwater and seawater.”