Ecological Benefits

• The Yichang Yunhe Park has achieved water volume regulation and water quality purification functions through a series of constructed wetlands. Under high water conditions, its multi-pond system can effectively delay and reduce flood peaks, with significant water storage regulation effects.
• In terms of water quality, for high-concentration pollutants (such as Total Nitrogen TN and Total Phosphorus TP), the removal rates of the multi-pond system are 38% and 31% respectively, showing a clear purifying effect. However, for low-concentration pollutants, the reduction effect is not significant, and even a slight release phenomenon occurs.
• Long-term operation of the system has revealed that the pollutant removal rate is higher in the first half of the pond area and decreases in the latter half, indicating that optimized design and maintenance management are crucial for water quality regulation.

Data Source:

Wu Y, Lin H, Wang Z. Study on the Regulation Effects of Water Quality and Quantity and Operation of Multi-pond Urban Green Space in Yichang Canal Park[J]. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2019, 39(16): 5978-5987.

• A habitat mapping study of urban park green spaces in Yichang City was conducted for Yichang Canal Park, Children's Park, and Binjiang Park, revealing the significant impact of habitat diversity and vegetation structure on ecological functions.
• By combining habitat classification systems with biodiversity data, it was determined that the richness of spontaneous plant species, the number of rare vegetation species, and the native species index are key indicators for habitat quality assessment.
• Through habitat mapping and quality evaluation, Yichang Canal Park demonstrated significant ecological functions and achievements in biodiversity conservation. The park is mainly composed of dense forests (69.45%) and sparse forests (30.55%), with green spaces accounting for 43.59% and water bodies 35.12%. The overall habitat quality is good, with Class II habitats (medium quality) accounting for more than 50%. Plant diversity is rich, with records of 95 plant species from 53 families and 90 genera, among which native plants account for 45.16%, including rare protected plants such as Metasequoia. The richness of spontaneous plants in multi-layered vegetation is the highest, with an index of 3.67, indicating good ecological quality.
• Green space habitats play an important role in water conservation and air purification, with dense forests and multi-layered vegetation contributing significantly to biodiversity. In the future, habitat quality can be further improved by increasing native plants and optimizing understory light conditions, thereby consolidating the park's ecological functions and becoming a typical demonstration of the sponge city green space system.

Data Source:

Zhao C. A Study on Habitat Mapping and Its Application in Urban Park Green Spaces of Yichang City [M], Northeast Forestry University. 2024.

Social Benefits

• The ecological environment improvement of Yichang Canal Park is significant, with an ecological satisfaction rate of 87.6% and infrastructure satisfaction rate of 79.4%.
• The park users are mainly local residents, accounting for 85.4%, with the most common activities being leisurely walks (41.2%) and exercise and fitness (22.7%). Over 60% of users visit at least once a week, mainly during the morning and evening times (73.5%).
• Despite the overall good performance, the poor winter landscape effect of the wetland habitat and upstream water quality issues affect some experiences, becoming the focus of future optimization.

Data Source:

Deng Ye, Wang Chunlian. Influencing Factors of Urban Wetland Park Users' Evaluation and Their Behavioral Preferences: A Case Study of Yichang Canal Park[J]. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2019, 39(16): 5988-6000.