Flocks of herons take flight over the Puxi River in Huangshan city. [Photo/WeChat ID: huangshanribao]
Huge flocks of herons are now foraging and roosting along the Puxi River, located in the Huangshan district of Huangshan city, Anhui province.
The Puxi River originates in the peaks of Huangshan Mountain, including the famed Bright Summit Peak. It runs down from the peaks, winds its way through the mountains and valleys and flows into Taiping Lake.
In 2017, Huangshan district invested 818 million yuan ($113.57 million) to implement the Puxi River (urban section) management project.
After the completion of the project, the public green space per capita of urban residents topped 20 square meters and the value added of the 1,500 mu (100 hectares) of the available land on both banks of the river exceeded 1.5 billion yuan.
The project won the 2019 Asian Townscape Awards, in recognition of its high-quality contribution to the creation of an ecological civilization, its people's well-being and its cultural inheritance.
Hordes of herons: the conservation efforts in protecting the wetlands in Huangshan district is clearly paying off. [Photo/WeChat ID: huangshanribao]
The Huangshan district has consistently promoted the protection of its ecosystem and the treatment of the Puxi River is widely said to have made remarkable achievements, with 144 species of birds now living and breeding in the wetlands.