“Something’s floating here. Pick it up,” Chen said. Noticing some fallen leaves on the lake, he immediately asked the staff on the cleaning boat to remove them.
“Look, we barely see any garbage here,” he said, gesturing toward the trash can on the cleaning boat, which was mostly filled with fallen leaves. “This is my most fulfilling moment—seeing the growing awareness among people about the importance of protecting the lake.”
Lake guardians
A passionate volunteer, Chen was selected by the Yundang Lake Conservation Center of the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Public Facilities and Landscaping in 2020 to be one of the first “citizen lake guardians.”
Chen patrols the lake for at least two or three hours every day. His patrol duties involve monitoring the water quality, spotting any debris or floating objects in the lake, checking the lake-side facilities, and ensuring no illegal fishing activities are taking place.
“Our core work is to get more people to visit the lake and raise their environmental awareness,” Chen told Beijing Review.
Chen explained that the idea of “citizen lake guardians,” first introduced by Xiamen, has now been adopted widely across China.
“One doesn’t need to join a volunteer team or serve at a set time to become a citizen guardian of the lake. All it takes is the will and awareness to protect the environment,” Chen said.
Bringing in new life
Each time the lake is opened to the sea, birdwatchers and photographers eagerly anticipate the spectacle of seawater flowing in, prompting fish to leap out of the water against the current. This creates a perfect feeding ground for egrets and a splendid scene for onlookers. Peng Zhiwei, President of the Xiamen Bird Watching Association, is among the keen observers.
However, before it became what it is today, the lake underwent a significant transformation. “In the early 1980s, factories were constructed around the lake to bolster industrial development. These factories discharged their sewage into the lake, severely damaging the water quality and the surrounding environment. This directly impacted the daily life of local residents,” Peng told Beijing Review.
“When the water became polluted, it led to serious consequences. Benthic organisms [those living in or close to the lake bed], as well as fish and shrimp, nearly disappeared, making it rare even to find egrets,” he added.
In March 1988, Xi Jinping, then Vice Mayor of Xiamen and now Chinese President, initiated policies for the lake’s restoration. His comprehensive management strategy has spanned decades, paving the way for the ecological restoration of Xiamen’s land and marine environments.
In the past decade, the number of bird species has increased from 70 to 95 and rare birds like woodcocks and field sparrows have been spotted multiple times in recent years, according to Peng.
“The water of Yundang Lake is sourced from the open sea. As such, through the implementation of dredging measures and utilization of tides, the water’s ecology has been significantly enhanced. This action has brought a wealth of aquatic life to the lake area, gradually restoring its biodiversity,” Peng said.
Three years after the rehabilitation of Yundang Lake began in 1988, the efforts had already yielded results, successfully accomplishing the goal of creating a “largely odorless lake.” The lake’s management plan includes extensive dredging every 10 to 15 years, with a total dredged volume of 4.7 million cubic meters, and 14 km of slope protection and bank construction to prevent erosion.
“The island in the center of the lake serves as our egret reserve. It is surrounded by mangroves, which were planted to clear the silt. Over more than a decade, it has grown into a small, forest-like island,” Peng explained.
The restoration efforts have not only made Yundang Lake an ideal habitat for birds but also a beloved urban space for the city’s residents.
An ecological shelter
“Up until now, we have been following Xi’s policies to extend our efforts in the ecological management of Yundang Lake,” said Liu Chun, Deputy Director of the Yundang Lake Conservation Center. “We have tailored our focus to correspond with the varying stages of the project.”
“Our center also collaborates with universities and other institutions to ensure intellectual support for the management of Yundang Lake. At the same time, we are also promoting the concept of sustainable development to the public,” she added.
Liu also unveiled a lesser-known facet of Yundang Lake: It also functions as Xiamen’s flood control and drainage system.
“Whenever it rains, a third of the rainwater or floodwater on the island of Xiamen accumulates in Yundang Lake. Therefore, before the onset of the rainy season, we must preemptively lower the lake’s water level according to the predicted rainfall and typhoon intensity. This ensures that when the rainwater is collected, it doesn’t result in urban flooding or compromise the city’s safety,” she said.
According to the center, the comprehensive administration of Yundang Lake has also stimulated industrial development and urban transformation. Land use across the basin has been improved, creating favorable conditions for the establishment of high-quality corporate headquarters and the concentration of high-end modern services industries. Yundang Lake and its surrounding areas have gradually evolved into Xiamen’s iconic administrative, financial, commercial, tourism and residential hub.
Yundang Lake’s dramatic transformation serves as a model for China’s path to modernization, demonstrating a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. From individuals and social groups to the city government, the close collaboration of various parties underpins Xiamen’s sustainable development. –The Daily Mail-Beijing Review news exchange item
