City to monitor dwindling wetlands
Print Edition
LOCAL authorities are planning to conduct a survey of Shanghai’s wetlands in response to findings that they have shrunk significantly.
The study will be launched soon, while officials will also solicit public opinion on whether or not to introduce legislation to protect the wetlands, which play a key role in the ecosystem.
As of the end of last year, Shanghai had about 377,000 hectares of wetland, said Wang Chengfu, a political adviser. The figure is down by about 18 percent from 2000, he said.
According to a recent report on the subject, the main reason for the decline is the reclamation of land for development.
A wetland near the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum in the Pudong New Area covered about 30,000 square meters when it was formed about 10 years ago. Today, as a result of urban expansion, it covers just 6,000 square meters, said Zhang Xiaolan, also a political adviser.
If nothing is done to save the area it might soon be gone completely, Zhang said.
Urban planning authorities in Pudong plan to turn the whole site into a business zone with offices, stores and theaters, he said in a report to the city’s top political advisory body.
Lawmaker Qian Yiliang said it is time that the city government took the issue seriously.
“Shanghai is lagging behind the rest of the country,” he said, adding that 19 provinces and cities in China already have laws on wetland protection.
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