Xinhua Silk Road: Wetlands conservation efforts help SW. China's Kunming improve ecology

BEIJING, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kunming will be the host city of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) set for October, where the Baofeng wetland of the Dianchi lakeside wetlands will be exhibited outdoors.

Southwest China's Yunnan province has made major ecological achievements in recent years on its arduous efforts in conserving wetlands in Kunming.

In 2003, Kunming adopted a plan aiming at ecological environment protection and comprehensive management of the ecological wetlands of the Dianchi Lake.

By 2020, the total area of wetlands in Kunming city hit 62,403.27 hectares, among which the area of natural wetlands stood at 48,249.31 hectares, with respective protection rate up to 69.53 percent and 78.44 percent.

During the period, a 200-meter-wide self-sustaining ecological belt was constructed, covering an area of 33.3 square kilometers, of which over 80 percent was covered with vegetation.

The improving ecosystem of the Dianchi lake has also benefited the biodiversity of the region, with plant species rising from 232 to 303 and certain fishes and migratory birds recorded returning.

Described as "the kidney of the earth", wetlands are integral parts of the ecological system and the environment. Dianchi wetlands have made vital contributions to water conservation, biodiversity and local economic development in Kunming.

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/323623.html