The wetlands in
Tibet Autonomous Region, known as "the roof of world", have
been effectively protected, the regional government said.
Tibet leads China in wetland acreage with more than 6 million
hectares in total, making up 4.9 percent of the region's total
area, according to the regional environmental protection
bureau.
Dubbed as "the kidney of plateau", wetlands in Tibet not only
play a crucial role in protecting groundwater, moderating flood
water in rainy seasons and maintaining ecological balance, but also
are the major source of oxygen and the "natural gene bank" of the
world-renown Qinghai-Tibet plateau, according to the bureau.
The world's highest natural wetland Lhalu wetland, located on
the northwest outskirts of Lhasa, for example, could absorb 78,800
tons of carbon dioxide and produces 57,300 tons of oxygen every
year, according to the bureau.
However, due to overgrazing and improper urban construction,
some wetlands had been destroyed in Tibet.
As the swamps vanish, dry-land plants gradually replace water
vegetation and plants. As big rivers dry up and some small rivers
have turned into seasonal rivers or have disappeared, said an
official with the bureau who declined to give his name.
To curb the deterioration of its wetland resources, the regional
government of Tibet launched a project to protect the Lhalu wetland
in 2002 at a cost of 92.92 million yuan (US$11.2 million).
It concluded construction of an 18 km-long enclosure, a silt
containing pond covering 27,000 square meters and water diversion
channels around and within the wetland.
In addition, the regional government will bring 15 wetlands in
Lhasa, under protection in the next five years, according to the
bureau.
(Xinhua News Agency February 13, 2006)