Tag: Shunyi District

Local dragonfly reserve established in Beijing

On Monday this week I received a message from the Shunyi Forest and Parks Bureau asking when I had some time to meet.  They said they had something to show me.

We arranged to meet on Thursday morning and I was a little intrigued.  They collected me from my apartment and drove me to a small park close by, a place that I had highlighted to them some time ago as a good place for dragonflies and that provided a potential opportunity to set up a community dragonfly reserve.

As we parked up and walked in, I could immediately see a new addition to this small green space – a large information board with pictures of 24 dragonfly and damselfly species that have been recorded there, with text about dragonflies’ life-cycle and why they are important.  Wow!

The information board with photos of the 24 species of dragonfly and damselfly recorded at the site, including a special emphasis on the critically endangered Libellula angelina, 24 October 2024.

This small green space, about 20 minutes walk from my apartment, is a place I visit every month. Two years ago, I was fortunate to discover a small breeding population of the critically endangered Libellula angelina 低斑蜻  Dī bān qīng.  There are only a handful of known sites for this species in the capital and it has clearly declined significantly over the last few decades.  Given that the species is on the wing only in April and early May, it is easily overlooked.  The following summer I discovered a small population of Brachydiplax chalybea 蓝额疏脉蜻 Lán é shū mài qīng (Oriental Blue Dasher) at the same site, a species that historically was found only to the south of Beijing and with only very few records in the capital.  Together with a good variety of more common resident species, it was clear that this site was an exceptionally good place for dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata).

The discoveries inspired me to draft a short proposal to make this small urban wetland a dedicated dragonfly reserve, with suggestions on how to manage the habitat effectively to protect these fantastic insects. I submitted it to the local government with low expectations but I took the view that it was worth the effort to try to raise awareness about the special wildlife we have around us in a relatively urban part of the city.

I am overjoyed that the local government has decided to take up the recommendations.

In the proposal, I listed the species I had recorded, illustrated with photos taken at the site, and highlighted the two rare species, especially the critically endangered Libellula angelina.  They used the images to illustrate the information board and have included background about Libellula angelina to help raise awareness that this community has something special in their backyard.

Internationally, there is a lot of emphasis on officially protected areas to help protect biodiversity and, under the new Global Biodiversity Framework, there is a headline global target to protect at least 30 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas, and at least 30 per cent of marine and coastal areas by 2030, but it is arguably equally as important to manage non-protected areas in a way that is more friendly for biodiversity, and I hope that this example from Shunyi District in Beijing will inspire other districts and towns to follow suit.  As far as we know, it is the first local dragonfly reserve in Beijing and, possibly, in all of China.

Big thanks to the local government in Houshayu, Shunyi District, and to friends at Shandong University for their help with the habitat recommendations.

 

Local communities in Beijing write to government to promote nature in new park design

Nearly 400 individuals, along with three schools representing more than 2,500 students have written a letter to the Beijing government to ask for a new park to be designed not only for people, but also for nature.  A wonderful initiative that has the potential to change attitudes about the design, and purpose, of urban parks.

What do people want from a park?  The conventional wisdom in Beijing is that local residents want somewhere “beautiful to look at, neat and tidy”.  Anyone who has enjoyed one or more of the city’s parks will have noticed that they are certainly neat, tidy and well-maintained, with an army of workers collecting litter, tidying up dropped leaves, spraying insecticide and strimming any vegetation more than a few centimetres high.  But what does this meticulous management mean for wildlife?  In most cases, although many parks provide temporary shelter for migrant birds during spring and autumn, Beijing’s parks are generally wildlife-deprived.  There are signs that this may be about to change.

As reported earlier, the government is planning to pilot the idea of leaving “10% wild” in some existing parks.  If successful, this pilot could be expanded to cover more of the capital’s green spaces.

And, as part of Beijing’s ‘greening’, the government is planning  a series of new parks on the outskirts of Beijing.  One such park is being planned along part of the Wenyu River, a well-known birding spot, an important habitat for wintering waterbirds, and a corridor for migrants in spring and autumn.  In total, more than 300 species of bird have been recorded along the river, including endangered species with Class I protection in China, such as Scaly-sided Merganser and Yellow-breasted Bunting.   Parks in the capital are traditionally designed by landscaping companies with little understanding of the needs of wildlife.  Fortunately, in the case of the Wenyu River park, the local government has invited Peking University and Beijing Forestry University to provide advice on how to make the new park better for wildlife.  Several suggestions have been made, including using a ‘zoning’ system for activities such as fishing and recreation in order to ensure some areas are relatively undisturbed. 

The academics working on these proposals suggested that a letter from local residents to make it known that they would like their park to be designed not only for human leisure but also for wildlife, would strengthen their case. 

A few weeks later, the letter below has been submitted to the Director General of the Beijing Forest and Parks Bureau and the local governments of Shunyi and Chaoyang Districts (the river marks the border of these two districts and the park will include land on both sides of the river).  The letter has been signed by three local schools, representing more than 2,500 students, and nearly 400 individuals.

2021-03-30 Letter to Beijing Municipal Goverrnment

The hope is that the letter will demonstrate to government that the traditional view that people want parks to be places solely for human recreation is out of date and that, in a modern global city, people want their parks to deliver multiple benefits, including supporting and nurturing wildlife.  

Changing attitudes takes time but, with 190 countries due to meet in Kunming, Yunnan Province, in October to thrash out a new international framework to tackle the global biodiversity crisis (the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, commonly known as COP15), it is clear that governments – both national and subnational – business, and indeed all of society will need to integrate biodiversity considerations into their operations if the world is to be successful in slowing and halting biodiversity loss.  The role of cities, home to more than 50% of the world population (expected to increase to 66% by 2050), is vital not only in terms of supporting urban wildlife and providing safe spaces for migrant birds to navigate large urban areas, but also to allow the increasingly disconnected urban population to connect with nature.  

We await the response of the Beijing Municipal government with interest. A huge thank you to everyone who signed and promoted the letter.  It is wonderful to see the overwhelming support from local residents for Beijing’s public parks to put the interests of wildlife at the heart of their design and management.

 

Title image: a river providing space for people and wildlife by Madeleine Donahue