The 13th Dongting Lake International Bird Watching Festival opened at its main venue in Yueyang City on December 29, 2024.

Foreign ambassadors to China, consuls-general and envoys, and representatives of friendship cities from six countries were present. Twenty bird-watching teams from home and abroad participated.

 
Opening ceremony of the 13th Dongting Lake International Bird Watching Festival.

The festival will last until December 31, with activities held in its main venue in Yueyang and sub-venues in Changde and Yiyang. A total of 23 bird-watching spots are set around the Dongting Lake area, leading audience to appreciate the stunning scene of thousands of flying birds.

The Dongting Lake area is one of the important wetlands for global biodiversity conservation. Its wetland ecosystem has nurtured 367 bird species, accounting for one third of the species nationwide. Years of continuous conservation efforts have stabilized the number of migratory birds wintering in the Dongting Lake area at over 300,000, with populations of rare species like Siberian cranes and scaly-sided mergansers steadily increasing.

The Hunan Forestry Bureau's December survey showed a record high of 458,500 migratory birds wintering in the Dongting Lake area. In particular, the number of the birds under first-class national protection, such as Siberian cranes and Baer's pochard, has increased significantly. These facts have fully demonstrated the ecological benefits brought by the improvement of the wetland environment.

Bean geese are seen flying over the East Dongting Lake National Natural Reserve in Hunan. (Photo/Song Yucheng)

Since the initiation of the Dongting Lake International Bird Watching Festival in 2002, more than 300 teams from over 30 countries and regions have participated. More than one million audience gathered around the Dongting Lake, advocating ecological protection with their actions.

An "Eye of Dongting Lake" intelligent bird-watching platform was launched as a highlight of the festival this year. Based on slow TV technology and GIS (geographic information system), the platform can realize real-time observation of birds and intelligently find the best positions for bird watching around the Dongting Lake. Users can watch real-time acts of birds through a mini-program on their cellphones, and learn about detailed information about bird species.

Two oriental storks forage at the East Dongting Lake National Natural Reserve in Huan. (Photo/Yao Yi)

责编：田梦瑶

一审：田梦瑶

二审：唐煜斯

三审：秦慧英

来源：湖南省政府门户网