The Yellow River flows through nine cities in Shandong province, in which there are various national and provincial parks, including the Mount Tai national scenic spot, the Wen River national wetland park, and the Zulai Mountain and Wen River national water conservancy scenic spot in Tai'an, the Yuanshan national forest park and the Yaojiayu ecological tourism resort in Zibo, and more.

The ecosystem of the Yellow River basin should be protected, and to this end, three different park systems, including national parks, nature reserves, and nature parks should be established in Shandong province.

It is necessary to set up national parks inside of nature reserves. One example of a national park is Mount Tai, a world cultural and natural heritage site with rich vegetation and unique plant and animal species. The mountain integrates different kinds of culture, including ancient-style sacrifice, religion, humanity and architecture. 

In 2017, with the approval of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Land and Resources, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Mount  Tai was designated as a pilot project for ecological protection and the restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasses.

It is also important to establish nature reserves in typical natural ecosystems. A nature reserve is a natural ecosystem or a natural concentrated distribution area of rare or endangered animal or plant species. 

One example is the Yellow River delta wetland located at the estuary of the Yellow  River, which is one of the most complete and one of the youngest coastal wetland ecosystems in the warm temperate zone. 

In recent years, due to a shortage in water resources, a rise in sea levels, and the erosion of coastal wetlands, biodiversity in wetlands has decreased. The Yellow River delta wetland is a national protected area, and it will be incorporated into the national park system, which will help preserve the area.

Nansi Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Shandong, is an important diversion and storage lake for South-to-North water diversion in Shandong province. In 2003, the Shandong Provincial Government approved the establishment of a 1,275-sq-km provincial-level nature reserve to protect wetland ecosystems and rare and endangered birds, which can be incorporated into the national park system to better protect water sources.

Besides, it is a significant step is to establish natural parks in areas with important ecosystems, culture, or landscapes. A natural park is a place with an important natural ecosystem, natural relics, or natural landscape, or a place with ecological, ornamental, cultural, or scientific value. Different types include forest parks, geo-parks, wetland parks, and more. 

There are many such parks in the Yellow River basin of Shandong province, including Mount Yuan national forest park in Zibo, and the Wen River national wetland park and Dongming Yellow River wetland park in Heze. Though these parks already exist, they are managed by different departments and have not been integrated into the national park system.

There are many national parks along the Yellow River in Shandong province, including national forest parks, national wetland parks, national scenic spots, national geological parks, national water conservancy scenic spots, and water source protection areas. 

To become a part of the national park system, it is necessary to carefully study the requirements of the national ecological security pattern in the Yellow River basin so as to ensure that the national park system can guarantee national and regional ecological security. 

Scientific planning should be carried out for the national park system to ensure that water conservation, flood storage, wind and sand fixation, soil conservation, and ecological services can be improved in the Yellow River basin.

The author is deputy secretary of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The views do not necessarily reflect those of chinadaily.com.cn.