China News Agency, Wuhan, November 6th, Question: What kind of wisdom has China contributed to the protection of the “kidney of the earth” in the implementation of the “Wetland Convention” for 30 years?
China News Agency reporter Chen Su
In 1992, China officially joined the “Convention on Wetlands” (“Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Especially as Waterfowl Habitat”). Over the past 30 years, China has actively fulfilled the purposes and obligations of the Convention, increased wetland protection, and contributed Chinese wisdom to the protection of global wetlands. . The 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands, which opened on the 5th, showcased China’s 30-year achievements in implementing the Convention on Wetlands and the road to wetland protection with Chinese characteristics.
Set up “four beams and eight pillars” to protect the legal system
Wetlands are known as the “kidneys of the earth” and play an important role in conserving water sources, improving the environment, and maintaining biodiversity. Looking back over the past 30 years, China has gradually figured out the “family” of wetlands and set up the “four beams and eight pillars” of wetland protection legal system.
In 1993, the Chinese delegation participated in the fifth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands and took an important step towards the implementation of the Convention. In 2000, 17 ministries including the former State Forestry Administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly promulgated the Action Plan for Wetland Conservation in China, which became the first programmatic document for wetland conservation in China. From 1995 to 2003, China completed the first national survey of wetland resources, and initially found out the basic number of wetland areas.
In recent years, China has paid more attention to ecological protection, and wetland protection has become a national strategy. In 2015, China issued the “Opinions on Accelerating the Promotion of the Construction of Ecological Civilization”, specifying that the wetland area should not be less than 800 million mu. On December 24, 2021, the “Wetland Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China” was deliberated and passed, and it will come into force on June 1, 2022, becoming the first law in China to specifically protect wetlands. 28 provinces have successively issued regulations and regulations on wetland protection. Wetland protection has entered the track of legalization in an all-round way.
Build wetland protection “graded management”
With 4% of wetlands, China meets the various needs of one-fifth of the world‘s population for wetlands. In the past 30 years, especially in the past 10 years, China’s wetland environment has been continuously restored and improved. This achievement is inseparable from the wetland protection and management system established in China.
At present, China’s wetland protection system consists of three parts: wetland national parks, wetland nature reserves and wetland parks. According to China’s wetland classification management system, China currently has 64 wetlands of international importance, 29 wetlands of national importance, and 1021 wetlands of provincial importance.
The preparation and implementation of medium and long-term planning is an important way for the Chinese government to govern the country. In the field of wetlands, the “National Wetland Conservation Project Plan (2002-2030)” has become the first medium and long-term plan for wetland conservation in China. Over the past 10 years, China has added and restored more than 800,000 hectares of wetlands.
In order to dynamically understand the status of wetland protection, at present, wetland survey and monitoring field stations, real-time monitoring and information management platforms have been established all over China. Wetland ecosystem positioning observation and research stations are all over the country.
With China’s deep participation in the affairs of the Convention on Wetlands and continuous improvement of wetland protection and management, China’s wetland protection effectiveness and experience have been widely recognized by the international community. In 2018, China’s draft resolution on “Conservation and Management of Small and Micro Wetlands” was adopted at the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands. At present, 13 cities in China have been certified as international wetland cities, ranking first in the world.
Entering a new stage of comprehensive protection
The latest survey results show that China currently has about 56.35 million hectares of wetlands. From cold temperate to tropical, from plains to plateaus, mangroves, forest swamps, scrub swamps, coastal tidal flats, inland tidal flats, river water surfaces, lake water surfaces, reservoir water surfaces, ditches, shallow waters, etc., rich and diverse wetland types Become an ecological home for all things to share. Comprehensive protection of the “kidney of the earth” is the common vision of global ecological governance, and it is also the strategic direction of China’s wetland protection in the next step.
Recently, China issued the “National Wetland Conservation Plan (2022-2030)” (referred to as the “Plan”). The “Plan” clarifies China’s goals and blueprint for wetland conservation in the future. Stable, the wetland protection rate reached 55%, and 20 wetlands of international importance and 50 wetlands of national importance were added. By 2030, a new pattern of high-quality development of wetland protection will be initially established, and China will become an important participant, contributor and leader in global wetland conservation and restoration.
The relevant person in charge of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration told the reporter of China News Agency that the new “Plan” is a powerful guarantee for realizing China’s long-term goals of wetland protection, promoting high-quality development of wetland protection, and improving wetland ecological functions and carbon sink capacity. The Convention on Wetlands, an effective way to contribute China’s wisdom in wetland conservation to the international community, is of great significance to promoting the construction of ecological civilization, a beautiful China, and the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.