As one of China's major mangrove distribution areas, Hainan Province in south China has been promoting the sustainable utilization of wetland resources through measures including returning aquaculture ponds to forests and marine ecological protection. On June 1, China's new law on wetlands protection took effect, marking the start of systematic legal protection of wetlands. Wetlands provide food and habitat for a diverse array of plants and animals, act as buffers to flooding and erosion, and serve as key links in the global water cycle.