Shrinking Wetlands Issue In China

The battle for China'swetlands rages as farmers eager to boost meager incomes butt heads with government initiatives to preserve biodiversity.

China's vast area of wetlands remain under constant threat from human activities. Despite their crucial role preserving water resources and biodiversity, they are often the first casualties of rapidly expanding cities and growing demands for agriculture.

In a tour to several wetlands in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, Xinhua reporters found that although the government is increasing efforts to curb the degradation of wetlands, local residents are still attempting to convert them to agricultural lands as incomes remain low in the undeveloped region.

"Local authorities are under heavy pressure to curb conversion of wetlands for other benefits," one official told Xinhua, asking to remain anonymous.

Data from the State Forestry Administration (SFA) revealed that China has a total of 53.6 million hectares of wetlands, making up more than 5 percent of the country's total terrain. In the past decade, 8.82 percent of wetlands have disappeared, converted to farmland or for infrastructure.

Sometimes referred to as the "Kidney of the Earth", wetlands play a crucial role in helping preserve and filter natural water resources while offering sanctuary for migrant birds and many other species.

A report in April showed nearly 60 percent of monitored areas in China had "very poor" or "relatively poor" underground water quality last year.

At a time when China faces looming pollution and water shortage problems, the government needs to put more focus on recovering wetlands, analysts said.

The problem, however, lies in how wetlands are classified.

Source: Xinhua

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