Wetlands loss poses risk to water supplies
Print Edition
China’s wetlands have shrunk nearly 9 percent since 2003, forestry officials said yesterday, aggravating water scarcity in a country where food production, energy output and industrial activity are already under pressure from water shortages.
China has more than a fifth of the world’s population but only 6 percent of its freshwater resources, and large areas face severe shortages.
Since 2003, wetlands sprawling across 340,000 square kilometers have disappeared, officials with the State Forestry Administration said.
“The investigation shows that China is facing various problems with wetlands protection,” Zhang Yongli, vice director of the administration body, told a news conference in Beijing, adding that loopholes in protection laws put wetlands at risk.
Wetland areas have been converted to agricultural land, swallowed by large infrastructure projects or degraded by climate change, the administration said.
Wetlands lost to infrastructure projects have increased tenfold since the government’s last survey in 2003, Zhang said.
Water scarcity endangers economic growth and social stability, and China has set aside US$660 billion for projects to boost supply this decade.
Wetlands store a large amount of China’s freshwater resources, and receding wetlands will leave less water available in the long term, said Debra Tan, director of Hong Kong-based China Water Risk.
“This will add to the pressure and increase competition for water going forward,” she said. “China will be looking to grow more food, and more food in wetlands, as urbanization continues.”
Nearly 70 percent of China’s energy production depends on water-intensive coal power. Despite pursuing alternatives, its coal use is expected to grow between 2 and 3 percent a year for the next five years, according to analysts.
A study by the World Resources Institute last October showed 51 percent of planned coal-power plants in China were in regions with severe water shortages, potentially pitting energy production against agriculture and basic needs.
Although 9 billion yuan (US$1.5billion) was earmarked to protect wetlands during 2005 to 2010, just 38 percent of those funds were allocated, said Zhang.
For 2011 to 2015, China plans to use 12.9 billion yuan to protect its wetlands.
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