Yancheng City, which is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea in China, has been a city developed on wetlands. Yancheng City formulated Plan on Wetland Scientific Popularization and Public Awareness of Yancheng City, as the guideline for the implementation of all scientific popularization and public awareness activities in the city.

Firstly, it constructed venues for public awareness, including the Theme Pavilion for Grus Japonensis, the Exhibition Center for Yellow Sea Wetland World Natural Heritage in Yancheng City, Elaphurus Davidianus Culture Park, Jiahu Jiulongkou Wetland Scientific Popularization Museum, and Dazong Lake Wetland Scientific Popularization Museum. It has conducted activities for wetland environmental public awareness, and attracted about one million visitors every year. In 2019, a non-profit comprehensive venue for urban wetland scientific popularization with the area of 3,600m2, bearing the functions of collection, exhibition, research, education, communication and others, was built on the basis of Yandou Municipal Wetland Park in downtown area.

Secondly, it initiated wetland schools. In 2004, the first wetland experimental high school in China, Dafeng District Feida Road Junior High School, was established, and compiled Wetlands and Conservation, Into South Yellow Sea Wetlands and other teaching materials, hosted essay competition as well as painting and calligraphy exhibition themed ‘Wetland and Me’, organized the activity of signature themed ‘Protect Environment, Conserve Wetlands’, initiated wetland knowledge popularization model of ‘Schools Educating Students, Students Driving Families, Families Influencing Society’. In 2019, Yanlong Lake Wetland School was launched, and formed an educational and scientific research base with environmental education of wetland ecology, inheritance of wetland culture, theories of wetland purification as main contents.

Thirdly, it organized public awareness activities. Permanently formed ‘Yancheng Wetland Scientific Popularization Class’, ‘ Wetland Summer Camp’, ‘Wetland Research and Study’, ‘Wetland Marathon’, ‘Dayangwan Chinese Dragon Boat Competition’ and other unique wetland scientific popularization models in China, and regularly hosted ‘Bird-Loving Week’, ‘Wildlife Conservation Awareness Month’, ‘World Water Day’, ‘China Water Week’, ‘National Scientific Popularization Day’, ‘Wetland Scientific Popularization Training for Elementary and High School Teachers’ and other series of wetland scientific popularization activities.

Fourthly, it strengthened foreign exchange. Since 2007, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has signed the MoU on Experiment of Wetland Ecological Conservation and Management in Yancheng City with the Yancheng Intertidal Wetlands Institute and other institutions, to promote the construction of the public awareness platform for ecological reserves in Yancheng City. Dafeng Elaphurus davidianus National Nature Reserve (Ramsar Site) has co-hosted the 2nd Special Training of ‘EAAF Waterbirds Warrior’ with WWF; signed the Construction Agreement on Pilot Site Project of ‘Coastal Wetland Natural Education Center’ with Shenzhen City Mangrove Conservation Foundation, to establish the brand of public awareness together with civil organizations.

Lastly, it hosted international conferences such as 2017, 2018 and 2019 Yellow & Bohai Sea Wetlands International Conferences with IUCN, and announced Yancheng Initiative to the world, to provide ‘Yancheng Model’ to deepen international cooperation in wetland conservation and promote harmonious co-existence between human and nature.