China will establish 225 new wetland reserves from 2004 to 2010, according to a national wetland protection plan released by the State Forestry Administration.

The plan, jointly formulated by 10 departments under the State Council, proposes to establish 225 new wetland reserves in seven years, which will restore 715,000 hectare wetlands and 383,000 hectare wildlife habitat. The plan will include 45 national wetland reserves and 30 international wetland reserves.

By 2030, China will restore 1.4 million hectare of wetland, establish 53 national demonstration wetlands and 80 international key wetlands. The number of wetland reserves will reach 713 in 2030, covering 90 percent of the wetlands in China, the plan said.

Dubbed "kidneys of the earth," wetlands are extension areas of land and water, including lakes, swamps and tidelands. They play a crucial role in storing water, adjusting climate, alleviating pollution and preventing and controlling soil erosion and flooding.

China has more than 65.9 million hectares of wetland, the fourth largest area in the world, accounting for 10 percent of the world's total.

As an important content, wetlands protection was listed on the national wildlife and natural reserves protection project in 2001. So far, about 40 percent of wetlands in China have become wetland reserves.

(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2004)