BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- From coastal to inland areas, from plains to plateaus and mountainous areas, China has been making great strides in wetland protection and restoration.
Over the past decade, China has added or restored more than 800,000 hectares of wetlands, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
During the 2016-2020 period, China allocated 9.87 billion yuan (about 1.47 billion U.S. dollars) from the central government to carry out 53 wetland protection and restoration projects, and more than 2,000 wetland ecological compensation projects, projects to return farmland to wetlands, as well as wetland protection and restoration subsidy projects.
The restoration of 467,400 hectares of degraded wetlands has been achieved, and 202,600 hectares of new wetlands were added.
China's first specialized law on wetland protection took effect in June 2022.
Feb. 2 marks the World Wetlands Day, which is the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental agreement dedicated to the conservation and rational use of wetland ecosystems.
This year's theme of World Wetlands Day is "It's Time for Wetlands Restoration," highlighting the urgent need to prioritize wetland restoration.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
