China has 65.94 million ha. of wetlands, of which 36.20 million
ha. are natural wetlands, ranking first in Asia and fourth in the
world.
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Widely distributed across China and widely varied, China's wetlands
fall into 28 different types and 5 categories, including marine,
river, marsh and reservoir. Since joining the Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands in 1992, China's government has established 535 natural
wetland reserves, including low beaches by seas, lakes and rivers
and forest-edge wetlands. Of these 30, with a total area of 3.43
million ha, have been classified as Wetlands of International
Importance, thus 40 percent of the natural wetlands and 33 key
animal species under state protection are effectively preserved
within the nature reserves. Thanks to effective protection, the
Lalu Wetland in Lhasa, Tibet, the world's highest, largest natural
wetland within a city, has stopped shrinking, expanding from under
6 sq km at the end of the millennium to 6.2 sq km today. Its
vegetation coverage, most of it grassy marsh, is over 95
percent.?
A National Plan for Wetland Protection Actions begun in November
2000 aims to stop human activity-related shrinking of natural
wetlands by 2010, and to restore deteriorated or vanished wetlands
by 2020.?
The National Program for Wetland Protection Engineering, approved
by the State Council in 2003, set these goals: by 2030 China will
have 713 wetland reserves, including 80 Wetlands of International
Importance, with 90 percent of natural wetlands effectively
protected; at the same time, 1.4 million ha of wetlands will be
restored, and 53 national model zones of wetland protection and
proper exploitation will be built, forming a relatively complete
system of wetland protection, management and construction.