A man skims garbage off the water at Baiyangdian in Hebei province, April 6, 2016. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/chinadaily.com.cn]

Years of ecological restoration for Baiyangdian in Hebei province has made the biodiversity of northern China's largest freshwater wetland better.

Covering an area of 366 square kilometers, the wetland boasts 143 lakes and is known as the "kidney" of the North China Plain.

According to the Baiyangdian Wetland Nature Reserve Administrative Office, a wide variety of plants and animal species now are living in the natural wetland.

Baiyangdian today registers about 200 kinds of birds, including bustards, cranes, and Oriental White Storks (Ciconia boyciana) that are under first-class state protection.

In the upcoming summer, about 80 kinds of migrating birds will fly here for the season.

In the water, there are more than 50 kinds of fish and over 400 kinds of algae.

"The ecological state of the wetland has improved a lot," said Liu Baozeng, a nearby resident who added that the area's environment was once threatened.

In the early 1980s, long-lasting drought in North China meant Baiyangdian suffered from a severe water shortage. The water quality was degraded due to discharges of wastewater from industrial factories and households, according to the administrative office.

A lot of fishermen privately bred fish in Baiyangdian, which led to water pollution caused by bait and fish waste.

Baiyangdian's ecosystem suffered until 1988, when the wetland's water was restored for more than 20 times, administrative office said.

In recent years, the local government took a series of ecological restoration measures to recover the wetland's ecological functions, such as keeping biodiversity, regulating climate and maintaining ecological balance.

Since 2012, the Baiyangdian area has eliminated 27 polluting factories and guided 68 companies to install sewage treatment facilities and water-quality monitoring devices.

The county's government invested 130 million yuan ($19 million) in projects for household garbage disposal.

Nearly 150 wastewater treatment stations were established at 45 villages in the areas around Baiyangdian.

Since 2014, more than 5,000 fish farmers living near Baiyangdian have been prevented from breeding fish in the water.

In the next few years, the area's ecological environment will be further improved.

About 85 percent of the wetland is located at Anxin county, one of three counties included in the Xiongan New Area in Hebei.

According to the National Development and Reform Commission, further plans to counter pollution and conserve Baiyangdian's ecological environment are being prepared, as one of the priorities of the new area.

Contact the writer at: zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn