Reviving the Chongming Dongtan Wetland
Print Edition
Coca-Cola China was one of the first enterprises to participate in an ambitious “spartina control and habitat restoration” project in Chongming under a partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature when the Chongming Dongtan Management Administration launched the program in 2014.
The protection of Chongming Island’s ecosystem is of great importance in Shanghai’s 2040 vision to “build an excellent global city” and to develop into a global green urban center. However, the invasive species spartina alterniflora threatens the eco-diversity of wildlife in the Chongming Dongtan (CD) Wetland, particularly the waterfowl.
For its role in this pilot project, Coca-Cola China sponsored the WWF to develop an operational plan for Beibayao so that the large-scale wetland project can be managed in a professional and efficient manner.
Also, the plan provided guidance to the local community in regards to the principles and practices of waterbird-friendly aquaculture, such as reducing disruption to bird feeding, using low doses of pesticides and hiding the necessary oxygen pumps that might scare off the birds.
The project is right on schedule after three years of dedicated efforts from all parties involved. With the implementation of optimized management, monitoring has shown that the number of waterfowl species has significantly increased. Meanwhile, the fishermen in the pilot zone have also been improving their approach to aquaculture, with water quality and operational scope both increasing. Fishermen are more competitive now as they can provide healthier fish and shrimp.
“Before we started the pilot project, you couldn’t see many birds here due to the invasive species,” said Yimo Zhang, manager of the Flyway Programme at WWF-China. “Thanks to the project implemented by the nature reserve administration and the support from Coca-Cola on developing a plan for our pilot project, now more than 10,000 birds can be seen in this area in a single day. This is an amazing outcome for conservation.”
To further bolster the protection of wetlands and encourage more people to join in the water protection initiative, Coca-Cola China partnered with the local government and the WWF to engage volunteers to participate in the CD wetland project.
The schedule of the project was carefully planned and included training and evaluation sessions. Volunteers learned about wetlands and waterfowl through all kinds of training sessions such as lectures, group discussion, interactive games, observation and practical exercises.
Individual evaluation was also carried out after the training to ensure the lesson content was well presented.
Over the past 18 months, 12 training sessions were conducted, with 75 volunteers from Coca-Cola China participating. They learned to identify different species that inhabit the area, and interviewed the local fishermen.
“The Coca-Cola Company supported the WWF’s conservation work at Shanghai’s Chongming Dongtan Beibayao Wetland from the very beginning,” said the Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve management administration. “This is a very good example of a corporation working with an international NGO to achieve the goals of wetland conservation and sustainable development.”
Curt Ferguson, president of Coca-Cola China & South Korea, said “we are here, and we care. It is the original driving motivation behind our actions and spurs our deepest consideration for the local market.”
Ferguson said for Coca-Cola, sustainability is an integral part of its corporate culture and has been deeply incorporated into its business because no business can grow without a sustainable community.
“We will continue to fulfill our sustainability commitment by replicating these successful experiences in other areas in China,” Ferguson said.
Over the past few decades, Coca-Cola China had invested 450 million yuan (US$68.5 million) in developing sustainability by the end of 2016. Since 2007, Coca-Cola China has successfully facilitated implementation of approximately 20 localized water protection programs along the three river basins of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Haihe River. Additionally, it has already achieved its 100 percent water replenishment goal in China in 2014.
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