Photo taken on July 17 shows Wuliangsuhai Wetland is heaven for birds. [China Development Gateway/Jiao Meng]

Huge ecological benefits

The area of bulrush is 150 square kilometers and it is home to nearly 200 species of birds such as grey Herons, mute swans, wild ducks, and the lake itself is home to over 20 species of fish.

"Statistics shows that this wetland provides about 0.1 billion m3 water to the Yellow River in the dry season per year, which is crucial to maintain humidification in this semiarid area," Yang explained.

He reckoned that if this wetland disappeared, it would be a critical strike to eco-environment in this area, and lots of birds would lose their food source and habitat.

Rescue efforts on the way

A multi-step process has been undertaken to address this worsening situation, according to Yang.

The first step is reducing the pollution source. The Bayannao'er municipal government persuaded farmers to use less chemical fertilizer and pesticide, and use more plant insect-resistance breeds instead.

Secondly, the wasted water can be purifying utilizing biological cleaning. "Reeds have strong cleaning effects to wasted water, they can decrease 30-70 percent of contamination," Yang said.

Thirdly, they are digging watercourse. It is a good method to increase water flow and decrease silts. "In fact, the silts are raw materials of biofertilizers, with natural fertility and zero pollution," he explained.

"However, more efforts should be undertaken to save this wetland," he believed, "as a Eco-industry Park , we don't have enough money and energy to treat this wetland thoroughly. For example, to completely eliminate wasted water draining, sewage treatment plants should be built in nearby towns. Obviously, it’s beyond our ability."

"I wish the whole society would pay closer attention to this wetland, more and more people are able to reduce water pollution by doing small things," he hoped.