Linlan Environmental Protection Commune's New Round of Action: Protecting Dalian's Coastal Intertidal Wetlands

(Zhang Tianqiang, Deputy Director of Liaoning Center of China Current Affairs News Network)

After the 2024 New Year's Day, Ren Zengying, the initiator of Linlan Environmental Protection Commune and founder of Dalian Haidai Ecological Culture Studio, who cares deeply about the coastal intertidal oyster reef ecosystem, conducted several on-site coastal tracking observations in the southern waters of Dalian.

Around 9:00 a.m. on February 5, Ren Zengying braved the pre-Spring Festival snow to once again visit the Black Stone Reef Scenic Area within the Dalian National Geopark for a new round of ecosystem status recording. Amidst the largest karst landform group in northern China, the "underwater mountains," the snow-covered coastline presented a unique poetic charm. The silvery world made her marvel at the infinite wonders of nature.

(February 6, 2024, Black Stone Reef Scenic Area, photographed by Ren Zengying)

(February 6, 2024, Black Stone Reef Scenic Area, photographed by Ren Zengying)

(February 6, 2024, Black Stone Reef Scenic Area, photographed by Ren Zengying)

Dalian is located at the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula and is the city with the longest coastline in China. Its sea area is about 30,000 square kilometers, and its long coastline harbors endless natural resources. The marine biological resources are abundant and diverse. In the winter of 2012, while engaged in marine finless porpoise protection along the coast of Shandong, Ren Zengying learned from online and media reports that the East Asian finless porpoise was widely distributed in the seas near Dalian, which filled her with great joy.

Starting in May 2018, during her research and education on the protection of the East Asian finless porpoise in the southern waters of Dalian, Ren Zengying encountered the oyster reef ecosystem. After that, the rich marine biodiversity of the coastal intertidal zone in the southern sea area came into her view. At that time, her attention was focused on the protection of endangered marine species, the East Asian finless porpoise and the Western Pacific spotted seal, so these common natural oyster reefs were not observed as a priority but only recorded routinely. Only after March 2023 did she add tracking research on the natural oyster reef ecosystem in the southern waters of Dalian as a key environmental protection action, and then began to delve deeper into exploration.

The Black Stone Reef area in Dalian is composed of limestone, with calcium carbonate as its main component. Dalian's famous "sea oysters" and other shellfish that grow on the reefs, such as mussels, thrive on the bedrock coast, hence the Black Stone Reef is also known as "Oyster Reef." In addition, the intertidal zone of the bedrock coast is particularly rich in algae resources, such as red algae, brown algae, Ulva, Sargassum, and sea hemp line. Usually, many tourists and local Dalian residents enjoy taking their children to "get close to the sea" on the mudflats after the tide recedes, but most people do not know the important ecological value of natural oyster reefs.

In winter, the coastal intertidal zone of Dalian remains full of vitality.

(January 22, 2024, southern waters of Dalian, photographed by Ren Zengying)

(January 24, 2024, Black Stone Reef Scenic Area, photographed by Ren Zengying)

With a deeper understanding and knowledge of the waters around Dalian, Ren Zengying, from the perspective of an environmental enthusiast, believes that oyster reefs, as one of the important coastal habitats, are still widely distributed in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones of various sea areas under Dalian's jurisdiction, especially in the southern waters of Dalian, which require more attention. Their main ecological service functions are to provide habitats for numerous marine organisms, protect coastlines from erosion, and mitigate losses from marine disasters.

The coastline of Dalian's Black Stone Reef Scenic Area is winding and varied. The karst landscape formed about 1 billion years ago is scattered among the bays and headlands. At high tide, the black reefs appear and disappear on the water surface, mysterious and unpredictable; at low tide, they stand erect on the beach, like a "forest of sea stones." These bedrocks are covered with natural oysters.

Among the typical coastal wetland types in China, the coastal wetland ecosystem is emphasized as a highly dynamic and complex ecosystem. The oyster reef ecosystem, still overshadowed by the fame of mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds, remains relatively obscure and has low public awareness.

Since July 2023, Ren Zengying decided to take the protection of the oyster reef ecosystem in Dalian's coastal wetlands as her mission. By November 2023, she had extensively promoted and popularized knowledge related to coastal wetland ecological protection within nature reserves, and conducted on-site research, publicity, and science popularization activities on the importance of the natural oyster reef ecosystem.

(January 24, 2024, Black Stone Reef Scenic Area, photographed by Ren Zengying)

(January 24, 2024, Black Stone Reef Scenic Area, photographed by Ren Zengying)

Dalian Coastal National Geopark is located at the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula, along the southeastern coast of Dalian. The park consists of four major areas: Jinshitan, Dahei Mountain, Southern Coast, and Lüshunkou. An important task of the national nature reserve system is to protect important natural ecosystems, natural relics, and natural landscapes, which have ecological, scenic, cultural, and scientific value, and to ensure sustainable use of the area. According to Ren Zengying's 17 on-site tracking surveys in 2023, the natural oyster reef ecosystem within the Dalian Coastal Geopark is remarkable.

"Chinese-style modernization" adheres to the path of ecological priority and green development, aiming for modernization where humans and nature coexist harmoniously. "Cherish wetlands, harmonious coexistence between humans and nature" — comprehensively enhancing citizens' awareness of marine ecological civilization is an important way to involve the public in biodiversity protection.

In response to the current global warming trend, China has proposed the "dual carbon" goals, demonstrating its responsibility as a major country in tackling global climate change. The ocean plays an important role in achieving carbon neutrality. As a typical coastal ecosystem globally, oyster reefs have huge carbon storage and strong carbon sequestration capacity.

Since Ren Zengying became the moderator of the "Wetland Section" of the forum of "China Environmental Ecology Information Network," one of the most influential industry platforms at the time in 2003, she has been learning and exploring wetland protection actions with an attitude of "the fearless are ignorant."

In the future, Linlan Environmental Protection Commune will pay closer attention to the ecological status of oyster reefs along the coast of Dalian, gain more knowledge about the survival status of natural oyster reefs nationwide, and make more efforts to protect the coastal intertidal ecosystem.