The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has launched a major wetland
protection campaign involving China and five other Asian
nations.
The campaign, the largest ever started by the world's leading
non-governmental environmental protection organization, aims to
protect wetlands along the Yangtze, China's longest river, and the
Lancang River, which is popularly known as the Mekong River outside
China.
It will focus on wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau --
"Asia's water tower" where seven major rivers originate, and
address diverse environmental issues including deforestation, water
pollution and the decline of highland glaciers.
Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam are also involved
in the campaign, which is reputed as "wetland ambassador campaign
2004", according to sources attending a recent launch ceremony in
Nanchang, capital of the eastern Jiangxi
Province.
The wetland ambassador campaign was initiated by WWF in 2001 to
raise public awareness of wetland preservation and eco-system
protection. This year's campaign is co-sponsored by China's
Ministry of Forestry and carries the theme "river of life -- from
mountains to oceans".
College students and non-governmental organizations are
encouraged to take part in the campaign, and nearly 60 Chinese
schools have submitted online applications to date.
Dubbed "kidneys of the earth", wetlands are extension areas of
land and water, including lakes, swamps and tidelands. They play a
crucial role in storing water, adjusting climate, alleviating
pollution and preventing and controlling soil erosion and
flooding.
China has more than 65.9 million hectares of wetland, the fourth
largest area in the world, accounting for 10 percent of the world's
total.
(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2004)