The staff at the Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve has for decades protected its rare and endangered birds and preserved its wetland ecosystem, making a notable contribution to the ecological restoration of China's second-longest river. The saline-alkali soil of yesteryear has gradually been restored to vast fields of reeds where fish find food in abundance and as a result, attract a wide variety of rare birds.

The number of wild bird species currently living in the nature reserve has increased to 371, with more than 6 million migratory birds flocking here annually. The past decade has also witnessed the diversion of 707 million cubic meters of water into the Yellow River Delta, and the consequent implementation of 16 wetland restoration projects.