The Haizhu National Wetland Park was recently recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), making it onto the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas.

The park, located in the Haizhu district, has become an important window for the city to showcase its ecosystem and environment to the world.

An egret elegantly catches a fish in the Haizhu National Wetland Park. [Photo/WeChat account: haizhuwetland]

The list uses the global standard for nature conservation. The exacting institutional governance of the IUCN Green List Program ensures efficient implementation, combined with robust and impartial decisions based on expert judgments and verifications.

A glorious field of bright orange flowers in the Haizhu National Wetland Park. [Photo/WeChat account: haizhuwetland]

Located in the southern part of the central axis of Guangzhou, the Haizhu National Wetland Park has an area of approximately 1,100 hectares, 869 of which are included in the national wetland plan.

Since its establishment in 2012, its managers have committed to a combination of conservation, natural restoration and man-made intervention.

Currently, 835 plant species are recorded there, with 1,097 animal species, including 190 bird species in the wetland. In 2021 and 2022, two new insect species were also discovered in the area.