Li Kuanduan, Party chief of Dongying, Shandong province and a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress, said that Dongying will strengthen the protection of the natural environment in the Yellow River basin.

Li Kuanduan, Party chief of Dongying, Shandong province and a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress [Photo/dzwww.com]

"We realized that the development of the Yellow River Estuary National Park is not only of great significance in promoting environmental health and biodiversity in the Yellow River basin, but will also help the Sanjiangyuan National Park form an environmental protection pattern and an ecological security barrier in the basin," said Li.

According to Li, the integration of environmental protection, energy revolution, green development, and economic transformation should focus on in the river's environmental conservation.

Last year, 170 million cubic meters of water was added to the Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve, while 4,833 hectares of farmland was returned to wetlands, and 2,200 hectares of coastal wetlands were restored in Dongying, said Li, who added that the wetland ecosystem in the Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve has improved remarkably with more than 6 million birds migrating and breeding there.

The protection of the Yellow River, known as the cradle of Chinese civilization, is one of the top concerns for the country's leadership. The Yellow River has its source in Qinghai province and runs through nine provinces and autonomous regions, including Shaanxi and Henan, before flowing into the Bohai Sea in Shandong province.