Beijing enhances wetland protection for wildlife conservation

BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Beijing has established a multi-layered wetland protection system that covers 83.15 percent of its total wetland area, offering key habitat for its wildlife population, the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau said on Monday.

The announcement coincided with the 30th World Wetlands Day. The system utilizes Beijing's nature reserves, wetland parks and other smaller protected wetland areas to promote biodiversity conservation and other ecological efforts, according to the bureau.

Beijing has continued to optimize wetland protection over the past five years. To date, the municipality's 61,200-hectare wetland is home to over 50 percent of the local plant species and 76 percent of the local wild animal species.

Beijing's latest efforts are part of China's grander picture in wetland conservation and restoration.

In recent years, the country has bolstered legal safeguards and improved its management system for wetland protection. Its total wetland area now ranks first in Asia and fourth in the world, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said on Monday.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), China will further improve its legal and regulatory framework for wetlands, strengthen monitoring and early warning systems for wetland protection, and accelerate the establishment of mechanisms to realize the value of wetland ecological products, the administration said. ■