Nation makes progress in protecting wetlands

China has made progress in wetland protection and restoration since the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands last year, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said during a conference on Sunday.

China has a wetland area of about 56.38 million hectares. It is home to 82 internationally important wetlands and 13 international wetland cities.

More than 800,000 hectares of wetlands have been added or restored, according to the Report on the Implementation of the Wetland Protection Law released in October during the sixth session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress.

Efforts have been made to implement the Wetland Protection Law, and protect and restore important wetland ecosystems, the administration said.

For example, over the past few years, Hubei province has maintained a high-pressure stance against wetland destruction, the provincial government said.

Hundreds of chemical enterprises along the Yangtze River have been transformed, relocated or closed down for environmental reasons. More than 1,800 docks of various types have been shut down.

The water quality of the Hubei section of the Yangtze River has remained stable at Grade II for four years, according to the water quality assessment. Water can be rated at five grades with Grade I the best quality. Grade II means the water can be used as drinking water and for fisheries.

According to the latest winter waterbird survey, Hubei has recorded 86 species of waterbirds with a population of 1.05 million. Compared to 2016, the number of species has increased by 19.4 percent and the population has grown nearly fivefold, the local government said.

For the next two years, China's wetland conservation efforts will focus on addressing issues brought up by the National People's Congress, the administration said.

The NPC report highlighted the urgent need to include key wetlands in the protected areas list. Some natural lakes with important ecological functions and key bird migratory areas are not included on the list.

Moreover, a diversified and market-oriented investment for wetland protection and restoration has not yet been set up, the report said.