The Yancheng coastal wetlands of Jiangsu province in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is considered the world’s largest intertidal wetland system. They are in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, with 415 recorded bird species, of which 29 are in the International Union of Conservation Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species. In addition to their great biodiversity significance, the wetlands provide important ecosystem services to local communities. They protect against coastal erosion, tsunamis, and storm surges, and improve water quality by assimilating some of the pollution flowing from households and industry. Local livelihoods are sustained through the gathering and aquaculture of marine and estuarine plants and fish species.
The Jiangsu Yancheng Wetlands Protection Project, approved by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in December 2011 for a loan of $36.9 million, was designed to support the government’s efforts to improve the management of the Yancheng coastal wetlands to preserve their valuable ecosystem functions. Such functions were increasingly being threatened by rapid wetland resource degradation, wildlife habitat loss and fragmentation, and loss of biodiversity.
With a $2.25 million grant cofinancing from the Global Environment Facility and covering about 291,300 hectares (ha), the project’s envisaged impact at appraisal was improved ecosystem health and services in the coastal wetlands of Yancheng. Its intended outcome was improved local government capacity to manage and protect Yancheng’s wetland ecosystems and improve the local people’s livelihoods. Its expected outputs were: (i) wetlands protection at the Yancheng Rare Birds National Nature Reserve (NNR), (ii) wetlands protection at the Dafeng Milu NNR, (iii) coastal forest improvement at Yancheng Forest Farm (YFF), iv) coastal forest improvement at Dafeng Forest Farm (DFF), and (v) project management and capacity development.
At completion, the project achieved its outcome targets adequately, with the target for employment exceeded. Wetland degradation of the project intervention areas in both the Yancheng Rare Birds and Dafeng Milu NNRs was halted in 2018, or just a year later than the target date. Against a target of 2,000 person-years, 2,903 person-years of employment were provided in sustainable, green jobs associated with wetlands and biodiversity conservation. Most output targets were met, with several exceeded.
Because of project support, 4,554 ha of wetlands were restored and/or rehabilitated to provide healthy, critical habitat for many important bird and animal species. Infrastructure and management facilities were significantly improved in the Yancheng and Dafeng NNRs and surrounding forest farms. Institutional capacity for wetlands protection and habitats management were strengthened considerably. The measures and approaches applied under the project have been replicated in wetland protection programs funded by the government.
Moreover, the project contributed directly to the successful inclusion of the Yancheng wetlands in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It had the Jiangsu Provincial Government as executing agency, and several implementing agencies, including the Jiangsu Provincial Ecology and Environment Department, the Jiangsu Provincial Forestry Administration, the Yancheng Municipal Government, and the Dafeng City Government.
