Xianghai State Nature Reserve is likely to disappear entirely next year because of drought and human interference. At the same time a number of rare bird species, such as the state protected bustard and red-crowned crane, will vanish with it.

"Xianghai Natural Reserve is composed of 22 sections, which formed a beautiful scene several years ago. However, because of a series of droughts most flooded areas have dried up, with only five remaining," according to Liu Jinglong, a senior official from the reserve.

Only one-ninth of the original 36,000 hectares is left.

The deterioration of the environment in the wetland in recent years has forced migratory birds to search for food elsewhere.

The average annual rainfall in the reserve is 400 millimeters while the average annual evaporation level is 1,945 millimeters. Xianghai only has three rivers running into it, but they do not have enough water to feed the wetland.

Reserve protection

In an effort to protect the reserve, the central government diverted 34 million cubic meters of water into the area last June. However, as the drought in the region was so bad, the water only moistened the surface.

Damage done by human activities has also contributed to the plight of the wetland.

There are 12 villages and over 20,000 people living in Xianghai Nature Reserve and they mainly live on the natural resources it supplies. The majority of the reserve's 19,000 hectares of secondary forest has been destroyed by grazing.

"So many years digging up the wetland and grazing on it have done irreversible damage," Zhao Jun, vice-director of the reserve, said.

"In a bid to protect the wetland, we implemented a ban on grazing for a year beginning this month," Zhao said.

In addition, to alleviate the man-made burden to the wetland, the reserve plans to move 500 households, 4,800 people, to other places.

(China Daily April 15, 2005)