A specialized periodical, Wetland Science is to be launched this year with both domestic and overseas circulation, a source said in Changchun with the Northeastern Geography and Agriculture-Zoology Institute in Changchun, the capital of Jilin.

The institute works under the direction and jurisdiction of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The quarterly is expected to focus on the latest wetland researches, including wetland creation and evaluation, wetland zoology and protection, said the periodical's chief editor Tong Lianjun.

Since wetland science is a hot field of research within the broader scope of global resources and environmental protection, China has attached great importance to it and is intensifying its research efforts in the field.

The CAS, colleges and universities, as well as forestry, irrigation and agriculture institutions have begun researches in the field and yielded marked progress.

Meanwhile, researchers are working hard to seek venues for the related academic exchanges and academic events with overseas.

(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2003)