Haitan Bay, rated as a national ocean park in Aug 25, aims to become an area of ecological protection, sightseeing, entertainment, leisure, water sports, and ocean science popularization by 2025, according to its overall planning for the next decade.

Location of the Haitan Bay national ocean park in Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone, Fujian province [Photo/Pingtan Times]

The park covers a total area of 34.9 square kilometers, 98.16 percent of which is water. The area is dotted with a great number of islets and reefs.

The park is divided into three sections – a key protection area, development area, and an ecological recovery and science popularization area.

The key protection area takes up 19.54 square kilometers, more than half of the park's total coverage. This section of the park will be devoted to the conservation of wildlife such as fish and birds, and habitats such as beaches and dunes.

Haitan Bay, featuring long coastline, beautiful beaches, and crystal clear water, receives recognition as a national ocean park on Aug 25. [Photo/Pingtan Times]

The development area, covering 14.72 square kilometers, is designed for entertainment and sightseeing. Visitors will be able to play volleyball and soccer, enjoy the sand dunes, and take part in water sports such as diving, sailing and kite boarding.

The last section focuses on the restoration of the coast, and protecting the coastline from sand and wind erosion. A marine science museum is planned to be built, where visitors can learn about the ocean and marine life, as well as increase awareness of ocean protection.

As per the overall planning, the construction of the park will be carried out in three steps: restoring the damaged ecological environment, improving infrastructure for seaside tourism, and establishing a sound environment monitoring system from 2016 to 2017. From then on a water sports base, a fishing base, and a marine science popularization base will be built from 2018 to 2020. From 2021 to 2025 the ocean park will look into improving its facilities and increasing global exposure.