NW China province legislates to protect wetland
( 2003-12-05 11:26) (Xinhua)
Northwestern China's Gansu province has adopted a regulation to better
protect its wetlands, following similar regulations passed this year by the
northernmost Heilongjiang province and east China's Jiangxi province,
another two provinces in the country.
Wetlands, the so-called "kidneys of the earth", are considered a
significant ecosystem as well as the ocean and the forest, playing a
crucial role in adjusting the global environment.
Gansu province is rich in wetlands, which are the main water sources of
the inland rivers and the sanctuaries inhabited by large amounts of rare
birds, including black storks, black-necked cranes and swans.
Nine wetland nature reserves, covering a total area of 860,000
hectares, have been established, making up 70.6 percent of the province's
total area of wetland. However, some wetland resources were affected or
even destroyed by excessive farming, herding and housing construction.
The newly adopted regulation to take effect on Feb. 2 next year will strictly
prohibit arbitrary exploitation and demand the local government to restore the
destroyed wetlands.
A regulation was formulated last month by Jiangxi province for the
protection of the wetland in and around famous Poyang Lake, the country's
largest freshwater lake.Meanwhile, in Heilongjiang province, the
regulations on wetland protection was passed by the local legislature in
June and came into effect on Aug. 1 this year.
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