Recently, the Chinese merganser, known as the “giant panda of the water”, was spotted again in the Luhun Lake National Wetland Park in Song County, Luoyang, Henan Province. This is the 13th consecutive year that they have come here to spend the winter.
The Chinese merganser is a first-class protected animal in China and has extremely high requirements for water quality and ecological environment. Their consecutive return fully reflects the continuous achievements of local ecological protection. Observation records show that the maximum population of this species in the wetland reached 24.
In recent years, the wetland has continuously enhanced its biodiversity conservation level by setting up monitoring stations, promoting restoration projects, and strengthening science popularization and publicity. Currently, there are 7 first-class national protected animals including the Baer’s Pochard, Black Stork and Yellow-breasted Bunting, as well as 47 second-class national protected animals inhabiting the wetland. A total of 273 species of birds have been recorded.
Next, the local area will continue to strengthen the protection and restoration of wetland ecology, safeguard these “ecological guests”, and contribute to sustainable development.（Reporter Lyu Baiying, Correspondent Lyu Na, Li Qingfeng）
