Home / Environment / News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Tieling to Restore Wetlands
Adjust font size:
Tieling in northeast

China's Liaoning Province is to spend 5 billion yuan (US$649.35 million) to restore its shrinking wetlands, local environmental watchdogs have said.

Wetlands play a vital role in water conservation, flood prevention and soil preservation. The province's wetlands covered 200 square kilometers in the 1980s, today it has shrunk to 4.3 square kilometers.

 

"The wetlands are giving way to overdevelopment, pollution and farming," said Chen Dongfang, a local public servant, and an expert on wetlands.

 

Huge amounts of waste is being directly discharged into the wetlands endangering the local wildlife, he said.

 

Experts attribute the lack of a specific protection law as a major reason for the drastic shrinkage.

 

To address the problem, the local government has promised to give priority to the protection of the wetlands and its restoration, Gui Zhixin, vice-mayor of Tieling, said.

 

The city, for the first time, will incorporate the protection of wetlands into the evaluation system used to measure the performance of local officials.

 

According to sources close to the local government, the restoration project is for environmental and economic reasons.

 

Tieling is to build a new district close to the neighboring economic hub of Shenyang to share some of its success.

 

The wetlands, located in the middle of the old city and Shenyang, have long been considered for their scenic and economic potential.

 

"We will make full use of all our water systems to establish a water city," Gui said.

 

The protection of wetlands has been given prominence in recent years due to the rapid urbanization of cities in northeastern China.

 

(China Daily May 9, 2007)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous

China Archives
Related >>
- Cangzhou Wetlands Host Migrating Birds for Winter
- More Efforts to Protect Dwindling Wetlands
- China Urgently Needs to Protect Its Wetlands
Most Viewed >>
Air Quality 
Cities Major Pollutant Air Quality Level
Beijing particulate matter II
Shanghai particulate matter III1
Guangzhou sulfur dioxide II
Chongqing particulate matter III2
Xi'an particulate matter III1
Most Read
- White paper on energy
- Endangered monkeys grow in number
- Yangtze River's Three Gorges 2 mln years in the making
- The authorities sets sights on polluted soil
- China, US benefit from clean energy
NGO Events Calendar Tips
- Hand in hand to protect endangered animals and plants
- Changchun, Mini-marathon Aimed at Protecting Siberian Tiger
- Water Walk by Nature University
- Green Earth Documentary Salon
- Prof. Maria E. Fernandez to Give a Lecture on Climate Change
More
Archives
UN meets on climate change
The UN Climate Change Conference brought together representatives of over 180 countries and observers from various organizations.
Panda Facts
A record 28 panda cubs born via artificial insemination have survived in 2006.
South China Karst
Rich and unique karst landforms located in south China display exceptional natural beauty.
Saving the Tibetan Antelopes
The rare animals survive in the harsh natural environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
More
Laws & Regulations
- Forestry Law of the People's Republic of China
- Meteorology Law of the People's Republic of China
- Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China
- Law on Protecting Against and Mitigating Earthquake Disasters
- Law of the People's Republic of China on Conserving Energy
More
Links:
State Environmental Protection Administration
Ministry of Water Resources
Ministry of Land and Resources
China Environmental Industry Network
Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base