A regional coastal ecological restoration project carried out in the Qianwan area in Qianhai, Nanshan District has been completed ahead of schedule, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported yesterday.

Through artificial planting of seedlings, the area has built up a naturalized and ecological new coast, promoting the protection of mangrove biodiversity and the restoration of marine ecosystems, according to the Daily report.

For a long time, the area’s shoreline couldn’t be covered with vegetation via natural regeneration because of environmental restrictions. The project, with the basic principle of “respecting nature and scientific restoration,” followed the succession law of mangrove ecosystems, and the restoration was carried out through artificial planning. A total area of 2 hectares has been restored.

By taking into consideration the area’s ecological condition, the restoration was done according to different soil substrates, tidal heights, salinity and degrees of wind and wave impact. Planting methods were carefully chosen.

To prevent waves from washing the planting base away, 10,000 pine piles were laid at the border to ensure and enhance the vegetation’s growth rate.

As a supplement to the wetland ecosystem in the tropical and subtropical seashore areas, the project has important ecological, social and economic values, according to the Daily report. It is especially significant in shoreline protection, disaster and pollution prevention, maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance.

When the newly created seedlings become forests, the public can enjoy a beautiful environment, a diverse ecosystem and an ecological coast where people and nature coexist harmoniously, the report said.