Photo:Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for advancing global process on wetlands conservation, redoubling efforts to preserve authenticity and integrity, and scaling up wetlands action across the world in an address to the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) held in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, on Saturday via a video link.

President Xi noted that historic achievements have been made in wetlands conservation in China, and China has put in place a protection system, and enacted a Wetlands Conservation Law, amid applause from attending international representatives on China's long-term commitment to wetland conservation, as well as tackling climate change and protecting biodiversity.

The opening ceremony of the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) held in Wuhan, Hubei Province, on November 5, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of COP14 committee

With four percent of the world's wetlands, China meets the ecological, productional, living and cultural needs of one fifth of the world's population, making an important contribution to global wetland conservation and their sustainable use, according to international delegations at the conference.

China has grown from a participant, to a contributor, to now a leader in global wetland preservation, building a model and providing effective solutions for many states worldwide, observers said.  

Xi suggested that it is important for the world to "build global consensus on prizing wetlands, show our respect for nature, minimize disruption and damage caused by human activities, and protect the ecological security of wetlands, in order to leave the beautiful wetlands to our future generations."

He stressed that China will pursue a modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, and promote high-quality development in the wetlands conservation cause.

China leads the world in having the most international wetland cities, being home to 13 among all 43 cities globally. Additionally, China has so far restored over 800,000 hectares of wetlands since 2012. Wuhan is especially rich in wetlands, ranking in the top three among inland cities worldwide on wetland resources.

"Wuhan's successful experience and innovative measures on wetlands conservation are also worth sharing with the international community, considering that Wuhan is the only city in the world with a population of over 10 million that has been recognized as one of the 'international wetland cities'," Cai Song, the head of the Wuhan's park and forestry bureau, told the Global Times on Saturday.

The opening ceremony of the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) held in Wuhan, Hubei Province, on November 5, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of COP14 committee

During a visit to Wuhan's flagship wetland park, the Wuhan East Lake National Wetland Park, Global Times reporters were impressed by the intelligent and digital platforms monitoring species and climate indicators adopted by the park which can quickly and accurately capture the updates of the ecological environment.

"Wuhan is well known as the city of rivers, rich species and birds, and it is really a model and showcase of what investments China has put in the wetland conservations," Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, the UAE's ambassador to China, told the Global Times. He said that achievement of Wuhan's urban wetland ecological protection is an epitome of China's overall wisdom on the cause.

Wuhan is home to 165 rivers and 166 lakes. It also boasts about 162,000 hectares of wetlands, the People's Daily reported.

The opening ceremony of the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) held in Wuhan, Hubei Province, on November 5, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of COP14 committee

Data shows that across the world, 40 percent of plant and animal species live in wetlands, more than a billion people depend on wetlands for their livelihoods. But wetlands are disappearing at a rate three times faster than forests, and are among the ecosystems with the highest rate of decline.

China has recently drawn up a layout plan of national parks. Under the plan, China will designate a number of national parks, and about 11 million hectares of wetlands will be incorporated in the national park system, Xi said on Saturday in his speech.

At the same time, global efforts are underway to tackle climate challenges, as some 120 world leaders will gather in Egypt's coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh from November 6 to 18 for the upcoming 27th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27). 

The meeting is reportedly set to obligate developed countries to honor their commitments to finance climate change projects and mitigate the effects of harmful climate changes, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday.