02/02/2005 – Wetland
conservation in China received a boost as
nine new sites, covering 400,000ha, were
officially classified as Ramsar wetlands
of international importance, thus protecting
them from destruction and overuse.
Eight of the nine new sites are high-altitude
marshes and lakes in the Qinghai and Yunnan
Provinces, and the Tibet Autonomous Region,
with one as high as 6,500m at the headwaters
of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Yalu Tsangpo/Brahmaputra
Rivers. The ninth site is the Shuangtai
Estuary on the Liao River in northeastern
China, which makes up part of what has been
called ‘the world's largest reed bed’.
“This move will help safeguard the freshwater
source of Asia’s most important rivers,”
said Jim Harkness, WWF China's country representative,
which assisted in the designation of the
new wetland sites.
“We congratulate the government of China
for its commitment to protecting these crucial
areas for people, wildlife and water.”
The designation of the sites is an important
milestone in promoting ‘Wetland Conservation
and Wise Use in the Himalayan High Mountains’,
an international initiative supported by
WWF, the Ramsar Convention and China.
Currently China has 3.43 million hectares
of wetlands protected under the Ramsar Convention.
By the end of 2003, the Chinese government
had established 353 wetland protected areas
with a total area of 1.45 million ha., covering
40 per cent of China’s natural wetlands.
All of the new Ramsar Sites are important
sites for migratory birds, including the
endangered Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis).
Local villagers in Shangri-la, Yunnan Province,
are working with WWF to develop community-led
ecotourism projects that will help conserve
the habitat of the black-necked crane, while
at the same time provide direct financial
benefits for the local economy.
“This type of training is just what we
need to help us develop ecotourism programs,
but also to deepen our knowledge of the
area we live in,” said a Chinese conservationist
who works at the local Baima Nature Reserve.
Bounded by Sichuan province to the north
and Tibet to the west, the Shangri-la region
is richin biodiversity. With elevations
between 1500 and 5400m, the region is characterized
by deep valleys and tall mountains, which
have created extremely diverse climate,
soil, and vegetation patterns, and unique
and fragile ecosystems.
Over the last several decades, however,
China’s rapidly growing economy and population
have been the root causes of wetland and
vegetation degradation throughout the country.
Planned hydropower stations, dams, roads,
bridges, and tourism infrastructure such
as hotels are also potential threats to
the fragile ecosystem.
WWF is working to conserve the area through
education programs, integrated community
development and conservation, and integrated
watershed management through partnership
with all stakeholders.
Notes:
• The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands — signed
in 1971 in the city of Ramsar, Iran — is
an intergovernmental treaty which provides
the framework for national action and international
cooperation for the conservation and wise
use of wetlands and their resources. There
are currently 144 Contracting Parties to
the Convention, with 1,420 wetland sites,
totalling close to 124 million hectares,
designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List
of Wetlands of International Importance.
• Member countries of the treaty are obliged
to manage all wetlands in a sustainable
manner, promoting the wise use of all wetlands
within their territory; consult with other
Parties about the implementation of the
Convention, especially with regard to trans-frontier
wetlands, shared water systems, shared species,
and development; and designate wetlands
that meet the criteria for inclusion in
the List of Wetlands of International Importance
for conservation.
• Wetlands are defined to include rivers,
lakes, swamps, and marine areas less than
six metres in depth.
• World Wetlands Day is marked each year
on February 2, the date of the adoption
of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February
1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Since
1997, government agencies, non-governmental
organizations, and groups of citizens at
all levels of the community have taken advantage
of the opportunity to undertake actions
aimed at raising public awareness of wetland
values and benefits.
