Yanqi Lake is located near the Great Wall at the foot of Yanshan Mountain in the northern part of Huairou, a suburb of Beijing, and is a land and water area centered on the lake. Flocks of geese often come to roost in the lake every spring and fall, hence the name "Yanqi Lake".

Part.01 Prominent Problems

With the economic and social development, the acceleration of urbanization and the development of tourism, the urban domestic pollution has become increasingly aggravated, and the pieces of domestic garbage make the lake shore no longer clean. The rise of tourism not only stimulates the regional economy but also increases the pressure on water ecological environment protection in Yanqi Lake. The target of the Yanqi Lake water functional area is class III, the water ecosystem is sensitive, easy to be disturbed by human activities, and the water quality is unstable. 

Part.02 Main Practices

In recent years, Yanqi Lake has made continuous efforts to improve the water ecological environment. Firstly, it strictly implements the river (lake) chief system of Yanqi Lake. Yanqi Lake implements the requirements of "The Work Program of Huairou District to Further Comprehensively Promote the River Chief System", and comprehensively strengthens the coordinating role of the river chief system. Relying on the jurisdiction's environmental fine management and care system, Yanqi Lake promotes the jurisdiction to maintain a better-quality water environment.

Secondly, Yanqi Lake fights a good battle against water pollution, strictly implementing the "Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution" and promoting the prevention and control of water pollution. It adheres to the "three water integration" and scientific and technological empowerment and promotes the construction of a modern governance system of water ecosystems. Yanqi Lake strengthens water pollution law enforcement and supervision and enhances departmental coordination. It builds ecologically clean small river basins and continues to improve the capacity of water ecological restoration.

Thirdly, Yanqi Lake restores wetlands to build an ecological green corridor. It carries out the restoration and management of the wetland sub-basin in the upper reaches of Yanqi Lake, integrates the prevention and control of soil erosion, the control of surface pollution, and the improvement of the human environment, and promotes the naturalization of small and medium-sized river banks. Simultaneously, it is planning to improve the Yanqi River ecological green corridor, so that the Yanqi River is restored to the near-natural river corridor.

Fourthly, Yanqi Lake vigorously implements ecological water replenishment. It coordinates the south water and Miyun and Huairou reservoirs to replenish water to the Yanqi River and realizes "hiding water in the ground", achieves the synergy restoration of surface and underground water ecology, and ensures the quality of ecological water replenishment.

Fifthly, Yanqi Lake promotes the protection of biodiversity. It actively promotes the implementation of the Huairou District Biodiversity Survey and Assessment to grasp the types, distribution, and preservation of regional biological species resources, and strengthen the ecological advantages.

Sixthly, Yanqi Lake implements the ecosystem enhancement project. Through gardening and landscaping renovation, Yanqi Lake achieves three seasons of flowers and four seasons of green and promotes the integration of humanities and natural landscape in Yanqi Lake.

Seventhly, Yanqi Lake builds a green water ecological civilization construction system. Combined with the ecological development needs of Yanqi Lake, focusing on the functional positioning of "low-carbon, green ecology, energy saving and water conservation", the ecological development of Yanqi Lake has comprehensively established a water ecological civilization system. Meanwhile, based on Huairou District's "Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets" Practice and Innovation Base and Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration Area, the demonstration construction will lead its healthy development.

Part.03 Effectiveness of governance

In terms of water resources, hundreds of millions of cubic meters of ecological water have been replenished to Yanqi River from the south water and Miyun and Huairou Reservoirs, and the ecological water use of the river and lake has been guaranteed. In terms of water ecology, Yanqi Lake has a reservoir capacity of 38 million cubic meters, a water surface of 230 hectares, and a rich variety of indigenous aquatic plants and animals in the lake area. In terms of the water environment, Yanqi Lake has had no eutrophication or water bloom in recent years.

Part.04 Lessons Learned

Combining the ecological development needs of Yanqi Lake and the actual situation of its upstream catchment area, Yanqi Lake adopts the seven aspects of experience and practices, focusing on the functional positioning of "low-carbon, green ecology, energy saving, and water conservation", and aiming at the goal of water clarity, water purity, beautiful water landscape, and healthy water ecosystem in the Yanqi Lake area, Yanqi Lake comprehensively establishes a water ecological civilization system of ecological development of Yanqi Lake to provide reference for the protection and restoration of river and lake water ecological environment located in the tourist scenic spot.

Translator: Zhou Huilin

Reviewer: Bai Jing