同期,研究人员还在西湖景区开展了其他五类生物多样性系统调查,共调查西湖景区陆生高等植物1223种、陆生脊椎动物238种、水生生物250种、大型真菌77种、昆虫1353种。
饶利华介绍,调查发现,近年来,来西湖过冬的北方候鸟品种和数量都增多了。除了鸬鹚、织女银鸥、鸳鸯、普通秋沙鸭四大越冬鸟,还有白鹭、斑嘴鸭、黑水鸡、银鸥、普通翠鸟等,更有鸳鸯留杭定居生子,从候鸟变成留鸟。
记者还看到,西湖中一些水域拉起了围网。这是西湖生态修复工程的一部分,恢复水生植物如沉水植物,形成水下“森林”,为鱼类及其他水生动物提供天然饵料,并为螺类、浮游动植物、底栖动物提供栖息场所。
据介绍,改革开放后,有关部门开始对西湖水域生态进行系统性监测。这次调查发现了两个突出变化,一是湖水的透明度升高了,意味着水质得到改善;二是营养指标下降了,意味着藻类水华发生的概率也在下降。
“自古以来,人们就在对西湖进行保护和治理。如果没有白居易、苏轼、阮元等一代代人的疏浚,西湖可能早已不复存在。当代西湖治理已从环境工程向生态工程转变,探索形成了‘生态优先、系统治理、遵从科学、因地制宜、持之以恒’的治理理念。”丁高峰说。
杭州对西湖保护的投入很大,构建了多级湖长体系,通过流域共治、水岸联动、专业管养、自动化和信息化等技术手段来优化西湖治理。环湖污染源清理,公交车引进清洁能源,组建西湖保护志愿者队伍,每天巡湖……西湖水域管理处的成立使西湖保护更加科学化和机制化。
“让市民游客能时刻感受到生态西湖的自然之美,在人与自然和谐共生中体会诗意栖居的幸福是西湖生态治理的初心。”丁高峰介绍,今后,管理处还将联合研究机构,进行西湖鱼类、水鸟等的人工智能自动识别系统建设。
Researchers have completed the first background survey of fish diversity in the West Lake in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, paving the way for the scientific improvement of the ecological environment of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
During the survey, researchers identified 36 fish species in the inland lake -- including the crucian carp -- belonging to nine families and 28 genera, with the carp family dominating, statistics show.
The survey was conducted between 2021 and 2022, and it shed light on the composition of fish species as well as the quantities and weight proportions of different types of fish.
Ding Gaofeng, director of the lake's water body management office, said that the survey aims to improve the protection of the lake's ecology and achieve harmony between humanity and nature.
"Fish are an important component of lake ecosystems. Clarifying fish community structures and the status of resources is a necessary step in investigating the lake's biodiversity, and also a prerequisite for the scientific improvement of the lake's ecology through fish community management," said Rao Lihua, deputy director of the office that led the survey.
Other biodiversity surveys were also completed by researchers from the scenic site management committee in the 2021-2022 period. A total of 238 terrestrial vertebrate species, 250 aquatic organism species, 77 macrofungus species and 1,353 insect species were investigated in the West Lake scenic area, which is a popular tourist attraction.
More migratory birds now travel to West Lake to winter, including spot-billed ducks, egrets and common mergansers. The lake has also seen mandarin ducks, which were once migratory birds, choose to stay and become residents, Rao said, noting that these changes indicate the improvement of the lake's ecological environment.
"Not long ago, locals saw a mother mandarin duck crossing the road with her four ducklings on Beishan Road near the lake, and all the cars stopped to make way for them," Rao said.
Over recent years, the management office has implemented a slew of measures to protect and improve the scenic area's biodiversity, including the daily monitoring of aquatic organisms, carrying out ecological regulation and control work, and establishing waterfowl protection areas.
Some of the lake's waters have been fenced off as part of the office's ecological restoration work to bring aquatic plants back to the lake, including submerged plants, forming an underwater forest to provide natural bait for fish and other aquatic animals, and to provide habitats for snails, phytoplankton and benthic animals.
A volunteer team consisting of individuals from all walks of life in Hangzhou has also been established to help protect the lake.
According to Ding, people have been protecting and managing West Lake since ancient times. Currently, the lake's management prioritizes ecological conservation and works in a science-based manner.
Ding noted that the original intention of West Lake's ecological management was to enable citizens and tourists to appreciate the lake's natural beauty and experience happiness in the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature.
In the future, the office will cooperate with other institutions to carry out research on the construction of an AI automatic identification system for fish, waterfowl and other organisms in the scenic area to continue improving the lake's biodiversity.
The site received more than 2.8 million tourist trips during this year's May Day holiday, which lasted from April 29 to May 3. That figure was up 14.24 percent from the same period in 2019.
In 2011, UNESCO added West Lake to its World Heritage List.