Wuhan Declaration to be released at COP14

The Wuhan Declaration on the coexistence of humans and nature is being drafted and will be released at the forthcoming 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14).

The COP14 is scheduled to be held from Nov 5 to 13, in Wuhan, Hubei province, and Geneva, Switzerland, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and use of wetlands and their resources. It has 172 contracting parties so far.

In addition, a framework for global wetland protection and development after 2025 is being drafted by the convention's standing committee.

Every three years, representatives of the contracting parties meet at the COP, where they adopt decisions on the administration of the convention and guide its implementation.

Since its accession to the treaty in 1992, China has taken action to tackle global challenges such as shrinking wetlands and the degradation of their ecological functions.

China's wetland protection rate exceeds 50 percent, an increase from 43.5 percent in 2015. The government has designated 64 wetlands of international importance, 29 wetlands of national importance and set up more than 600 wetland nature reserves and some 1,600 wetland parks.

It is the first time that such a meeting is being held in China. The website for COP14 will be launched soon in Chinese, English, French and Spanish, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The main sessions will take place in Wuhan and will include an opening ceremony and an achievements exhibition for the 30th anniversary of China's implementation of the contract.

Sideline meetings in Geneva, Switzerland will include an international wetland exhibition and a closing ceremony.