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UPDATED: August 7, 2009 NO. 32 AUGUST 13, 2009
Redeeming the Weeping Wetland
By ZHANG ZHIPING
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Renowned as the "Kidneys of the Earth," wetlands are one of the three major ecosystems of the planet, along with forests and seas. With 10 percent of the world's wetlands, China ranks number one in terms of the area of wetlands in Asia, and fourth in the world. China's wetlands are abundant in type (containing all-natural and man-made types listed in the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance) and large in number, with a wide coverage, dramatic regional differences and notable biodiversity. So finding ways to protect and properly use them is a tough and urgent job for China, a country still in the beginning stages of wetland protection.

Since the 1950s, due to a lack of knowledge of functions and values of wetland ecosystems, the area of China's wetlands has decreased dramatically owing to all kinds of irrational exploitation and utilization activities. With the continuous increase in population and rapid economic development, the reclamation and overuse become even more ravishing. According to official statistics, the area of wetlands has dwindled by more than 50 percent. Many of them keep degrading so badly that they result in soil erosion—and desertification. Forty percent of them are polluted to different degrees by agricultural and industrial wastes.

The Chinese Government attaches great importance to wetland preservation. Since joining the Convention on Wetlands in 1992, China has taken many measures to strengthen the protection of existing wetland resources. Meanwhile, international cooperation for this purpose has also been intensified. After 10 years of implementation, the Project of the Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Wetlands in China was completed in late June. The project, which totaled $12 million, was the largest of its kind in the history of the country.

Due to its large population and booming economy, China's ecological environment has become rather fragile. In this regard, more efforts are required. Fortunately, the Chinese Government and the public have established a consensus in restoring and protecting wetlands, and are willing to invest large amounts of labor and money in it. Therefore hopefully our land, as well as the environment as a whole, can be allowed some breathing space to recover from the heavy pressures of industrialization.



 
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