As important nodes and transfer station on the "East Asia-Australia" international migratory bird migration route, every year coastal wetlands such as Hanjiang River Estuary and Rongjiang River Estuary in Shantou attract hundreds of thousands of migratory birds to roost or "have a rest and recover" on the way. In recent years, six species of critically endangered birds, including the spoon-billed sandpiper and the Chinese crested tern, have been successively discovered in the Hanjiang River Estuary in Shantou, accounting for nearly half of China's 13 species of critically endangered birds, ranking first among the cities in China.

In the coastal wetland in the Hanjiang River Estuary, which has a large area of mangroves and beach wetland, in addition to a variety of species of critically endangered birds as well as and more than 60 species of key birds under state protection, including relict gulls and Nordmann's greenshanks, there are also key aquatic animals under state protection, which are represented by Chinese white dolphins and Chinese horseshoe crabs. The continuously "emerging new" rare species in the wetland in the Hanjiang River Estuary demonstrates the value of this wetland in biodiversity conservation. In April this year, in a selection jointly initiated by the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Society of Entrepreneurs & Ecology (SEE) in Beijing, MCF and other institutions, Shantou's Coastal Wetland in the Hanjiang River Estuary was named one of the "10 Most Notable Coastal Wetlands" in 2021.

Source:Shantou Daily, Oct 17, 2021

　　汕头韩江口成“珍稀野生动物乐园”

　　作为“东亚-澳大利西亚”国际候鸟迁飞路线上的重要节点和中转站，汕头韩江口、榕江口等滨海湿地每年吸引了数以十万计的候鸟前来栖息或中途“加油”。近年来，在汕头韩江口接连发现勺嘴鹬、中华凤头燕鸥等6种全球性极危鸟类，约占全国13种极危鸟类的近一半，居全国城市第一位。

　　在拥有大面积红树林和滩涂湿地的韩江口滨海湿地，除了多种极危鸟类和遗鸥、小青脚鹬、等60多种国家重点保护鸟类，还有以中华白海豚、中国鲎为代表的多种国家重点保护水生动物。韩江口湿地珍稀物种的不断“出新”，彰显了这块湿地在生物多样性保护方面的价值。今年4月，在由中科院地理所和北京市企业家环保基金会、红树林基金会等单位联合发起的评选中，汕头韩江口滨海湿地入选2021年“最值得关注的十块滨海湿地”。

来源：汕头日报 2021-10-17