The Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve has increasingly become an ideal habitat for wildlife, with 194 species of birds, including seven types under key State protection and 34 under the provincial protection, as well as 110 kinds of shellfish and 127 varieties of fish.

There are more than 19,000 hectares of mangroves in Zhanjiang, which are distributed intermittently along the 1,500 kilometer coastline of the Leizhou Peninsula. In 1990, the mangrove nature reserve was built under the approval of the People's Government of Guangdong Province, and was upgraded to a national nature reserve in 1997.

The Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve is currently the largest mangrove natural reserve in China.

It plays an increasingly important role in controlling coastal erosion, conserving water and soil, as well as protecting biological diversity. In addition, it can help resist typhoons, slow down tides, absorb and transform pollutants, as well as purify seawater.

Millions of birds fly around the Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve. [Photo by Zhang Fengfeng/gdzjdaily.com.cn]