Birdwatching resorts in Zhejiang Province, ChinaThe Origin
At the junction of the south wing of the Yangtze River Delta and the East China Sea, the alluvial plain has been silted up into a vast intertidal wetland for eons of time, becoming an important habitat for migratory birds of the "East Asia - Australasian Flyway", one of the world's major flyways. Located on the coast of the East China Sea, ZRCC has been attracting egrets to nest here due to its friendly ecological environment.
Egrets Fly in ZRCC
Around the year of 2007, a grove of about 2200m² beside the LPG bottling station of ZRCC, naturally turned into an “Egret Park” for herons to breed.Every early spring in March, the egrets return “home”, and the grove becomes lively. In addition to the common egrets, cattle egrets, Chines pond herons and night herons,, rare species such as Great Egrets can also be found here. This grove is nicknamed Egret Park by ZRCC employees.It is also the only Egret Natural Habitat set by a petrochemical company in China.The Egret Park is very close to the petrochemical plants, which is only 160 meters away from aviation fuel storage tank and 470 meters away from the nearest refining unit. In spring and summer, nearly a thousand egrets habit and breed here. The scene you can see here is so delightful with egrets living freely near the towers and tanks, and harmoniously with the employees.In June 2021, Sinopec announced the first ten "Beautiful Sinopec - Ecological Emission Landscapes", among which Egret Park of ZRCC was listed.
The Story Behind
Egrets are known as ecological inspectors of nature. The friendly ecological environment and complete biological chain are the reasons why they choose to stay here. The staff of ZRCC always take good care of these lovely elves of nature.Pipeline makes way for egrets. Around 2014, ZRCC planned to build a new pipeline near the Egret Park. At first, the most efficient and economical design scheme was raised on the basis of economics and technology. During the review, it was discovered that the piping rack need to pass through the Egret Park to achieve the shortest distance of straight line between points. Finally, ZRCC determined to redesign the scheme and make the pipeline bypassed the Egret Park, avoiding to disturb the egrets. The pipeline is rerouted to take three turns, resulting the investment in pipeline engineering alone increased by about 3 million RMB.Construction makes way for egrets. Although the project scheme was finalized, the splashing sparks and uninterrupted noise are accompanied with construction. In order not to interfere with the egrets’ living and breeding, ZRCC suspended the construction work from March through September, and re-arranged to carry out construction in autumn and winter after egrets flying south for winter. Consequently, the construction period for this pipeline from originally one year was added to three years.Land makes way for egrets. Since 2020, ZRCC has transformed the Egret Park in two phases to build the ecology of “three areas” consisting of core area, extension area and radiation area. The core area is expanded from 2,200 m² to 12,000 m², and the food sources are enriched for egrets. In extension area, comprehensive treatment is carried out for river and rain water by diverting wastewater from clean water. The radiation area is integrated into the construction of national ecological demonstration zone in Zhenhai District, by means of connecting the green pipe gallery to NPETD, where the creeks, wetlands and tidal flats further enriching the food sources for egrets.
Work Together to Protect Biodiversity
Recalling the history, ZRCC has set the development tone of “protecting the nearby Zhoushan fishing ground, protecting our living environment, and being responsible for our descendants” from its establishment. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward the ecological civilization thought, which is the fundamental compliance and action guide for the construction of ecological civilization in the new era.“Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.” A leading company should not only pay attention to benefits, but the ecology. ZRCC, as a branch of Sinopec, has been faithfully shouldering the responsibility of ecological civilization construction, and pioneering in building “waste-free and odor-free green demonstration plants”. Creating a broader living environment for egrets and protecting biodiversity is one of the powerful measures taken by ZRCC to firmly pursue high-quality green development.“Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.” A leading company should not only pay attention to benefits, but the ecology. ZRCC, as a branch of Sinopec, has been faithfully shouldering the responsibility of ecological civilization construction, and pioneering in building “waste-free and odor-free green demonstration plants”. Creating a broader living environment for egrets and protecting biodiversity is one of the powerful measures taken by ZRCC to firmly pursue high-quality green development.In March 2021, ZRCC Egret Park renovation project phase Ⅰ was completed and opened to the public successfully. In March 2022, phase Ⅱ was completed as scheduled, and ZRCC Egret Park was newly opened.According to the investigation and research by Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry of the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF), as of February 2024, there are more than 31 species of birds in ZRCC Egret Park. In addition to common egrets, night herons, cattle egrets, and grey herons, there are also Crested Myna, Eurasian Blackbirds, kingfishers, and turtle doves, etc., which together form a healthy ecosystem with fish and shrimp in the pond and plants in the park.In March 2024, the Zhejiang Provincial Forestry Bureau announced the second batch of "Best Birding Hotspots in Zhejiang Province", and Sinopec ZRCC Egret Park was on the list.
