The Rongcheng Declaration, passed during an international symposium on swan protection on Nov 22, called on the international community to strengthen the protection of swans and their habitats and work to preserve regional and global biodiversity.

The symposium, which was held from Nov 21 to 23 in Rongcheng, Shandong province, was attended by government officials and experts from home and abroad, who discussed the latest research on the protection of swans and swan habitats.

An international symposium on swan protection is held from Nov 21 to 23 in Rongcheng, Shandong province. [Photo/WeChat account: China-rongcheng]

Representatives of public organizations like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the East Asian - Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), and the Idaho Water Resource Board also participated in the conference and witnessed the announcement of the Rongcheng Declaration. 

Rongcheng, a county-level city in Weihai, Shandong, is home to many whooper swans during winter. Every November, thousands of swans migrate to the city from Siberia, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and Northeast China to escape the cold.

In 2007, Rongcheng was approved to become a whooper swan national nature reserve, and in 2011, it was named the "Chinese home of whooper swans". The city has integrated environmental protection into its economic and social structure and has achieved a healthy balance between environmentalism and economic development.

Swans frolic majestically on the shores of Swan Lake in Rongcheng city, Shandong province. [Photo by Gao Junbo/WeChat account: China-rongcheng]

According to local officials, the city has released a general plan for the construction of the whooper swan nature reserve and has already built a rescue center, an epidemic surveillance center, and swan protection and management stations. "No firework" areas have also been set up to ensure that the whooper swans are not disturbed, and water began being treated and protected in Rongcheng in 2000 to create a better living environment for the birds.

A campaign was launched in 2015 to improve sewage treatment and river water quality, and the quality of offshore waters is now rated Grade II, the second-highest level in China's five-level rating system for water quality. This grade means the water is drinkable after treatment.

In addition, due to efforts to control factory emissions, Rongcheng now has the cleanest air in the province.

Every November, thousands of swans make their way to Rongcheng, East China's Shandong province. [Photo by Gao Junbo/WeChat account: China-rongcheng]

Photographers and tourists from China and abroad flock to the city every winter to catch a glimpse of the city's magnificent swans. The city has held a variety of swan-related activities recently, including international academic forums, a swan photography art season, and sculpture exhibitions, and nearly one million domestic and foreign tourists visit the city every year.

Swans enjoy themselves on an early winter morning in Rongcheng, East China's Shandong province. [Photo by Gao Junbo/WeChat account: China-rongcheng]