Wetland area in China stays above 800m mu during 14th Five-Year Plan

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China has advanced wetland conservation and restoration nationwide, implementing more than 1,000 wetland protection projects and scientifically restoring 4.34 million mu (about 290,000 hectares) of wetlands, according to data from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Currently, the country's total wetland area has reached 834 million mu (55.6 million hectares), safeguarding the ecological security baseline for wetlands.

A tiered wetland management system has been further improved. Eighty-two wetlands in China were designated as of international importance, 80 wetlands of national importance, and 1,205 wetlands of provincial importance.

The total number of international wetland cities in China has risen to 22, the highest in the world.

Nine hundred and three national wetland parks were also established, around 90 percent of which are open to the public free of charge, attracting approximately 320 million visits each year.

Notable progress has also been made under the special action plan for mangrove protection and restoration. By June, 138,000 mu (9,200 hectares) of new mangroves had been planted nationwide, achieving the targets set for the 14th Five-Year Plan ahead of schedule and making China one of the few countries in the world with a net increase in mangrove area.

At the same time, the removal of smooth cordgrass, an invasive species, has been completed across 1.46 million mu of wetlands.

(Cover: Ergun Wetland in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, September 17, 2025. /VCG)