Editorial
Wetland conservation
Editorial  ·  2022-11-04  ·   Source: NO.45 NOVEMBER 10, 2022

The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) takes place in November in an online-offline hybrid format in Wuhan, Hubei Province, with a parallel session in Geneva, Switzerland. This is the first time that China has hosted this international event. The conference is tasked with discussing the convention's future development and reviewing issues in its implementation.

Known as the "kidneys of the Earth," wetlands are among the world's three major ecosystems together with forests and oceans. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat, which oversees their protection and sustainable use, was concluded in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. China became a contracting party in 1992.

The country's wetlands rank first in Asia and fourth worldwide in terms of size. China's wetlands are vast, diverse and widely distributed, ranging from the cold temperate zone to the tropics and from the plains to the high plateaus. It has almost all the types of wetlands included under the Ramsar Convention.

In recent years, China has been strengthening the protection and restoration of wetlands and their ecological condition is continuing to improve. The country has designated 64 wetlands of international importance and 29 wetlands of national importance. More than 600 wetland nature reserves and 1,600 wetland parks have been established.

China's first law specifically protecting wetlands took effect on June 1 this year. In October, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the Ministry of Natural Resources jointly issued a 2022-30 wetland protection plan, setting medium and long-term goals.

Wuhan, the host city of COP14, is located on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway of bird migration and has 162,400 hectares of wetlands, accounting for 18.9 percent of its total area. In June, Wuhan was awarded Wetland City Accreditation by the Ramsar Convention, an international honor for the protection of urban wetland ecology.

Nature provides the basic conditions for human survival and development. With a holistic approach to the conservation of ecosystems in place, China aims to enhance their biodiversity, stability and sustainability. Wetland conservation is a crucial part of the country's efforts to achieve its green development goals. 

(Print Edition Title: Harmonious Coexistence)

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