On February 2, the 27th World Wetlands Day was celebrated with the theme “It’s time for wetland restoration,” emphasizing the urgent need to revive lost and degraded wetlands worldwide.
Wetlands, as defined by the United Nations, are ecosystems where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and animal life. These include freshwater and marine coastal ecosystems such as lakes, rivers, and underground aquifers.
Despite covering only 1% of the Earth’s surface, research published in the journal Science reveals that wetlands like peatlands, mangrove forests, salt marshes, and seagrass beds store 20% of the planet’s organic ecosystem carbon. Their high carbon sequestration rates surpass those of marine and forest ecosystems, making wetlands crucial in mitigating climate change.
China has made significant strides in wetland restoration. According to Shi Jianbin, an associate professor at Beijing Normal University, over the past 20 years, the country’s mangrove areas have increased from 22,000 hectares to 27,100 hectares. During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), China restored 1,500 kilometers of coastline and 30,000 hectares of coastal wetlands, marking it as one of the few countries achieving net gains in mangrove coverage.
In the past decade, the Chinese government has implemented comprehensive plans for wetland protection and restoration, including the Programme for a Wetland Protection and Restoration System, the Master Plan on Major Projects for the Conservation and Restoration of National Key Ecosystems (2021-2035), and the National Wetland Protection Plan (2022-2030). These initiatives outline specific strategies and requirements for wetland rehabilitation.
The National Wetland Protection Plan, released in December 2022, proposes adopting near-natural measures for the systematic restoration of wetlands with severely degraded ecological functions, such as those in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and coastal areas of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea.
Specialized action plans have also been launched, such as the Special Action Plan for Mangrove Protection and Restoration (2020-2025) and the Special Action Plan for Spartina alterniflora Control (2022-2025). These plans aim to afforest new mangrove forests, restore degraded mangroves, and control invasive species to protect wetland ecosystems effectively.
Wetland biodiversity is vital for human health, food security, tourism, and employment. As the world acknowledges the importance of wetlands, collective efforts are essential to protect and restore these invaluable ecosystems.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
