Xinhua News Agency, Hangzhou, April 30 (Reporter Huang Yao) This year marks the 20th anniversary of the creation of the National Wetland Park. Over the past 20 years, my country has established 903 national wetland parks, effectively protecting 2.4 million hectares of wetlands across the country, providing sufficient space for the habitation and reproduction of national key wild animals and plants such as black storks and Chinese merganser.

This was learned by the reporter at an international seminar on wetland protection held by Hangzhou, Zhejiang on the 30th.

Yan Zhen, deputy director of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration, introduced at the seminar that my country has always attached great importance to wetland protection, adhered to the principles of protection priority, strict management, systematic governance, scientific restoration and rational use, and continuously promoted the high-quality development of wetland protection. Up to now, the national wetland area has remained stable at 56.35 million hectares. There are 18 newly designated internationally important wetlands, with a total of 82, ranking among the world's top.

At the same time, my country has continuously increased its efforts in ecological protection and restoration, implemented the national wetland protection plan, completed more than 400 engineering projects, and restored 300,000 hectares of wetlands. Organize and implement special actions to protect, restore mangrove forests and prevent and control mutual flower rice and grass, create and restore 17,000 hectares of mangrove forests and control 73,000 hectares of mutual flower rice and grass. Promote international cooperation, build an international mangrove center, and contribute to the global wetland protection cause.

In the next step, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration will strengthen the overall protection of the wetland ecosystem, focusing on planning and construction of a number of major projects in the "Three Norths" areas, the Yangtze River Basin, the Yellow River Basin and other regions, and focusing on the construction of national parks of wetland types such as Sanjiangyuan. Strengthen international cooperation and exchanges in wetland protection and actively participate in global ecological governance.