by Xinhua writer Chu Mengmeng
HONG KONG, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- It is winter, the most "crowded" time of the year in Mai Po. At the edge of a dense mangrove forest, tens of thousands of various kinds of birds are hovering above the surface of an extensive bay.
Friday marks the 28th World Wetlands Day. Located on the northwestern corner of the hustle and bustle metropolis of Hong Kong, the 380-hectare Mai Po Nature Reserve provides a paradise for many creatures, especially for 60,000 to 90,000 migratory birds.
At sunset when the tide rises, the birds gather and soar, building spectacular "bird tides" in the sky.
"I still remember that I was thrilled the first time I saw the scene," said Wen Xianji, director of Mai Po Nature Reserve and Flyway Program of the World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong (WWF-HK), which has been delegated to take charge of the Mai Po preservation since 1983.
Lying halfway along the East Asia-Australasia Flyway, a packed route taken by 50 million waterfowl every year, Mai Po is a vital "supply station" for many migratory birds.
To forge a bird-friendly sanctuary, the conservation team, led by Wen, adopts the method of active management.
"We remolded the natural environment to cater to the needs of birds," Wen explained, adding that there are "canteens" for eating, "bedrooms" for resting and "living rooms" for wandering and socializing.
Wen took the black-faced spoonbill, a globally endangered waterbird under first-class national protection in China, as an example. Since the valued "customer" has relatively long legs, suitable ponds for it to forage for food should be with a depth of around 15 centimeters. As it prefers to stroll in open areas, plants on the nearby dykes should be trimmed short.
Various species even receive "customized service" from the team. For instance, ponds of different depths of water, from several centimeters to more than 1 meter, have been set up for birds of different body sizes.
Wen said that team members work like exclusive architects and attendants for birds. From late spring to early autumn, they drive bulldozers to repair the infrastructure to welcome the "customers" in the coming months. In winter, after all the birds "check in," they trim the plants regularly like room cleaning in hotels.
Under scientific preserving measures, the annual number of migratory birds spending winter in Mai Po has grown from around 10,000 in the 1980s to more than 50,000 in recent years, with over 90,000 in peak time.
Birds are not the only dwellers in Mai Po. Recognized as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1995, Mai Po and its adjacent wetlands around the Inner Deep Bay accommodate numerous animals and plants, including more than 420 kinds of birds, 34 kinds of mammals, 8 kinds of amphibians, 22 kinds of reptiles, 105 kinds of butterflies and over 100 hectares of mangrove.
"Our focus is to protect nature. Besides, we also pay attention to preserving the history of the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature," Wen emphasized.
Mai Po in Chinese can be literally translated as "a rice-growing plain." In the first half of the 20th century, there were lots of rice fields and Gei Wai, a kind of traditional shrimp and fish farm, in the area.
"Gei Wai is a good example of human beings harnessing natural resources in a rational way," Wen noted, explaining that the operation of Gei Wai is rather environmentally friendly, relying on tidal activities to flush in natural nutrients and harvest.
To inherit the fine tradition and create befitting habitats for birds, Wen and his team apply the theory of Gei Wai to control the water level of ponds.
Twelve buffaloes have also been invited back to Mai Po. However, their job is no longer ploughing as their ancestors worked in the rice fields decades ago. Instead, the buffaloes are now "hired" as gardeners, responsible for "cutting" the grass to an appropriate height for birds, with their mouths while grazing.
"They are actually our colleagues," Wen joked. "They don't get paid but enjoy free meals and accommodation."
Apart from nature conservation, Mai Po, as evaluated by the WWF to be of great ecological value, is also important when it comes to ecological education.
Every year, more than 30,000 visitors come to Mai Po. Tourists want to catch a glimpse of this beautiful wonderland and professionals from wetlands around the globe come to learn the advanced management experience.
"Most of the birds in Mai Po migrate from one wetland to another all year round," Wen said, hence it is important to boost global cooperation to improve the environment of wetlands around the world.
This is especially true in the case of Mai Po, of which the adjoining bay is shared by Hong Kong and Shenzhen, another metropolis in southern China. For decades, the two cities have been collaborating closely to protect their common wetlands and waterbirds under the joint efforts of Wen and his peers from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. ■
