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China will establish 225 new wetland reserves
from 2004 to 2010, according to a national wetland protection plan released
by the State Forestry Administration
Date: BEIJING, 1 February 2004
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-02/01/content_1293738.htm
The plan, jointly formulated by 10 departments
under the State Council, proposes to establish 225 new wetland reserves
in seven years, which will restore 715,000 hectare wetlands and 383,000
hectare wildlife habitat. the plan will include 45 national wetland
reserves and 30 international wetland reserves.
By 2030, China will restore 1.4 million hectare
of wetland, establish 53 national demonstration wetlands and 80 international
key wetlands. The number of wetland reserves will reach 713 in 2030,
covering 90 percent of the wetlands in China, the plan said.
Dubbed "kidneys of the earth", wetlands are
extension areas of land and water, including lakes, swamps and tidelands.
They play acrucial role in storing water, adjusting climate, alleviating
pollution and preventing and controlling soil erosion and flooding.
China has more than 65.9 million hectares of
wetland, the fourth largest area in the world, accounting for 10 percent
of theworld's total.
As an important content, wetlands protection
was listed on the national wildlife and natural reserves protection
project in 2001.So far, about 40 percent of wetlands in China have
become wetland reserves. |
