Look! A black-faced spoonbill(黑脸琵莺)!" shouted Yan Zihan at the Futian Mangrove Ecological Park(红树林生态公园). Yan, a 15-year-old student from Shenzhen, was excited to notice the bird because of its endangered situation.
Yan then wrote a diary in which she imagined herself as a spoonbill. "I'm a black-faced spoonbill," she wrote. "Flying south from the cold, I found Shenzhen's mangroves are like a green carpet(地毯) and life here is comfortable. "
"The reason why the spoonbill can have such a comfortable life in Shenzhen is that mangroves provide food and home for these birds," explained Ye Mouxin, an expert who works in the Futian Mangrove Ecological Park. Mangroves grow in warm coastal areas and play an important role in keeping biodiversity (生物多样性) and protecting coastlines from erosion (侵蚀). Shenzhen has a total of 296. 18hectares(公顷)of mangroves, according to People's Daily. Recently, the world's first international mangrove center was set up in the city. The local government has spared no efforts to protect mangroves. For example, during the building of a highway along the coast in the 1990s. instead of destroying the mangroves, it decided to move the highway 260 meter snorth ward, which kept the valuable man groves at the heart of the city.
However, mangrove protection needs more attention from Shenzhen citizens. To call on more citizens to protect mangrove, the park organizes events such as the spoonbill festival, during which citizens can play games and make 'picture books about the animals. Additionally, educational activities designed to students in primary and secondary schools in Futian district have been introduced.
As citizens and teenagers immerse (使沉浸于) themselves in the wonders of mangroves, they not only learn about the importance of protection but also discover the joy of exploring nature.
