WASHINGTON /PRNewswire/ --
On June 22, United States Senator and former Majority
LeaderHarry Reid (D-NV) recognized
Mr. Wenliang Wang, Chairman of the China Rilin
Industrial Group, for his conservation efforts to restore the
Dandong Yalu River Estuary Wetland in China. These wetlands that cover more than 200,000
acres are considered to be of "great importance as a feeding and
resting area for hundreds of thousands of the world's migrating and
wading birds," according to the Dandong Yalu River Estuary Wetland
National Nature Reserve.
Photo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150722/240588
Photo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150722/240589
The Senator said,
"Mr. President, I rise today to recognize entrepreneur and
philanthropist Wenliang Wang for his commitment and
dedication to restoring one of the world's most impressive
wetlands, the Dandong Yalu River Estuary Wetland
in China."
Reid went on to
say that it was Mr. Wang's, "private efforts and personal
connection to the [Dandong] area that has influenced him to invest
millions of dollars in the restoration of the Dandong Yalu River
Estuary Wetland."
According to the
Dandong Yalu River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve, there
are approximately 5 million wading birds of 55 kinds that fly
across 20 countries and regions from Alaska to Siberia, down south through East Asia, Southeast Asia to Australia and New Zealand. The wetland is 1,860-3,100 miles from
breeding grounds in Alaska and Siberia, and 3,100-3,728 miles
from Australia and New Zealand where wading birds spend their
winters. It is the closest place near the north-pole tundra for the
wading birds to get sufficient foods before they go into breeding
zones. Following its restoration, the wetlands have become one of
the most inhabited wetlands on these migratory routes with over one
million birds spending the winter, passing through, or making the
wetlands home because of its unique location, friendly eco environs
and abundant food supplies.
In March 2007, 12 bar-tailed godwits labeled "E7"
in New Zealand were tagged for the first time
with satellite GPS tracking devices to monitor their activities.
On March 17th,
2007, the E7 left Miranda, New Zealand, flew 7 days non-stop for 6,342 miles
and reached the Dandong Yalu River Estuary Wetland. This was the
longest non-stop flight recorded for migratory birds. There were
several suitable places on the way where E7 could have landed, but
they chose to bypass those and continue on to the wetlands as
bar-tailed godwits have high loyalty to their resting places. For
the next five weeks, the E7 resided in the wetlands to prepare for
their flight to Alaska that was recorded on May 1, 2007. Currently, there are 250 kinds of
birds and 76 kinds of fish, 103 various species of amphibians and
mammals, and 365 different plants in the wetlands.
In terms of its
role in conservation, the wetland has also become a popular feeding
and resting hub for one of the world's rarest birds, the Saunders's
Gull. There are only 7,000 of these birds left in the world, and
over 2,600 have made the wetland their home. In 2014, the Wetlands
International awarded the Dandong Yalu River Estuary Wetland the
title "Best Station for Plover Snipes".
Over the past
decade, Mr. Wang has made the Dandong Port one of the most
important gateways for northeastChina, with an annual capacity of 138 million
metric tons. His business is now the largest taxpayer in Dandong, a
city with a population of nearly 2.5 million.
Additionally, Mr.
Wang's business interests have expanded into different sectors,
including becoming one of the largest buyers of soybeans and corns
from US and Brazil to produce high quality soybean oils
for Chinese markets. Mr. Wang has given tens of millions to several
universities including Harvard and NYU here in the US, as well as 30 schools and
1,000 households annually in impoverished areas
of China. Recently, Mr. Wang made a commitment to
invest millions of dollars to grow mangroves in the
US, Brazil and China in an effort to save our shorelines and
restore the wetlands.
"I applaud Mr.
Wang for his commitment to protecting the internationally
significant Dandong Yalu River Estuary Wetland and wish him the
very best in his continued efforts to protect our environment and
restore these important sites," said Senator Reid.