Natural reserve boosts migratory bird protection in NE China's Liaoning

Photo shows Snake Island, part of the Liaoning Snake Island-Laotie Mountain National Nature Reserve in Lushunkou district, Dalian city, northeast China's Liaoning Province. (Photo courtesy of the management bureau of the Liaoning Snake Island-Laotie Mountain National Nature Reserve)

The Liaoning Snake Island-Laotie Mountain National Nature Reserve in Lushunkou district, Dalian city, northeast China's Liaoning Province is an important stopover site for migratory birds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of the world's great flyways for migratory birds.

In recent years, the population of wild birds recorded at the reserve has seen remarkable growth, thanks to coordinated conservation efforts and smart management based on a digital management platform.

"Every year during the migration season, tens of millions of migratory birds pass through here," said Wang Xiaoping, deputy director of the reserve's management bureau.

So far, 375 bird species have been recorded at the reserve. It was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in July 2024 as part of the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase II).

Wang joined the reserve staff in 2001 after graduating from Northeast Forestry University in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

"In the past, people would go to the mountains to catch birds during the migration season. To protect birds, we had to maintain 24-hour monitoring," he recalled.

The challenge was deeply rooted in local conditions. "Our village is surrounded by mountains, leaving villagers with little farmland. Quite a few villagers once made their living by catching birds," said Sun Xigui, a villager from Guojia village in Tieshan subdistrict, Lushunkou district.

The reserve has worked persistently to address this dilemma through a two-pronged approach.

Staff members hold a bird-related science popularization activity at the Liaoning Snake Island-Laotie Mountain National Nature Reserve in Lushunkou district, Dalian city, northeast China's Liaoning Province. (Photo courtesy of the management bureau of the Liaoning Snake Island-Laotie Mountain National Nature Reserve)

"On one hand, we coordinate with public security, forestry and market regulation bureaus, as well as the district government to protect birds and punish hunting activities. On the other hand, as the local government has vigorously developed industries such as cherry planting and rural tourism, people have found broader channels to increase income and achieve prosperity, so fewer people engage in bird catching," Wang said.

Sun calculated his earnings: "About 50 cherry trees can be planted on 1 mu (around 0.07 hectares) of land, generating about 45,000 yuan ($6,278.56) in gross annual income."

As local residents' incomes have risen, illegal bird catching has declined dramatically. Since 2022, the reserve has recorded zero confiscated bird nets for three consecutive years, according to Wang.

The number of recorded species of raptors in Laotie Mountain has now reached 45, according to Lyu Chuandong, head of the science and education center of the reserve's management bureau.

On Sept. 23, 2024, over 10,000 raptors were recorded on the mountain in a single day. The management bureau has conducted raptor monitoring for seven consecutive years since 2018.

Monitoring the changes in raptor populations is crucial for assessing the ecological health of a region, Lyu said.

The mountain monitors an average of over 60,000 raptors annually, with the 2024 figure exceeding 110,000, Lyu added.

Gradually, bird protectors have multiplied. "Now, when local residents discover injured or sick birds, they proactively call relevant departments, and the birds are eventually sent to us for examination and treatment," said Tang Lianyou, director of the Laotie Mountain raptor rescue center.

Since the center's establishment in 2016, it has received over 420 birds representing 42 species, including more than 140 birds from 20 species under national second-level protection or higher, with over 220 successfully released after treatment.

To better protect bird habitats, the reserve's management bureau has established a digital management platform featuring modules for patrol management, monitoring displays, and video surveillance, integrating technologies such as voiceprint recognition, AI analysis, and thermal imaging.

"A space-air-ground intelligent management system powered by cutting-edge technologies enables us to better understand bird activity patterns, providing valuable support for future conservation efforts," Lyu said.

In recent years, researchers at the reserve have equipped over 160 medium and large birds with satellite positioning trackers, enabling precise monitoring of their flight routes, altitudes, speeds, and other information. Through long-term tracking, they have gradually mastered migration routes and strategies of common raptors passing through Laotie Mountain.