China has set up a state committee to perform the Convention of
Wetlands, according to sources from the State Forestry
Administration (SFA).
A spokesman for the SFA said that the committee comprises 16
government departments including the SFA and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. The committee will coordinate and guide relevant
departments to perform the Convention on Wetlands, study and
formulate relevant principles and policies, and coordination
international cooperation.
He said China has 38.48 million hectares of wetlands, topping
Asian countries and ranking the fourth in the world, and it has all
the wetlands species classified in the Convention on Wetlands.
China joined the Convention on Wetlands in 1992. In 2001, China
launched a drive to build nature reserves for wild animals and
plants, of which the protection of wetlands is an important
part.
In 2006, China listed the wetland protection project into its 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010).
(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2007)