Wetland resource protection and rational utilization in China

Abstract

Wetlands of China cover an area of 63 million ha, among which, natural wetlands 25 million ha, including mires, shallow lakes, etc., artificial wetlands 38 million ha. Besides these, there are a lot of rivers and islands, stretching 18,000 km of coastal line and coastal zone below the tidal within the water depth of 6 m. Based on the climatic regional differences, biota similarity and biodiversity abundance, China’s wetlands can be divided into 9 main regions. Wetlands not only have huge functions to regulate mankind’s living environment, but also are the important and precious natural resources. For a long period, since the contradiction between population and resources, energy, grain is getting more and more obvious, China’s wetlands are facing to serious disturbances, such as large-scale reclamation, overhunting, industrial waste water pollution and species introducing. They have brought about the wetland quantity reducing and quality falling, furthermore have effects on sustainable development. For the special national conditions of China, higher population pressure, China should carry out wetland resource protection and rational utilization, not only protection.