1st Ld-Writethru: More Tibet wetlands get state backing

The State Forestry Administration has agreed to provide financial and promotional support for four new wetland parks in Tibet.

Its approval of the parks in Chamdo City, Shannan Prefecture and Nagqu Prefecture brings the number of wetland parks with state backing in Tibet to 14, said Zhang Hucheng, deputy director of wildlife protection with the regional forestry department.

The new parks cover 15,400 hectares. One of them, Drolma Langtso, is at the source of the Nujiang River.

"Establishing more wetland parks will help us protect water resources and biodiversity," Zhang said.

Tibet has more than 6.5 million hectares of wetland. Statistics show that the wetland area in Tibet has grown by 524,200 hectares over the last ten years.

The Tibetan regional government has allocated 48 million yuan (about 7.3 million U.S. dollars) for the 2016-2018 period to compensate the local communities for their contribution to the protection of the wetlands.

Local herders have been told to stop or curtail herding in key conservation areas. Some members of the local communities have been hired by the forestry department as patrollers in the wetlands.

Wetlands have been key to conserving water resources, adjusting local climate and preserving the environmental safety in the plateau region, said Zongga, deputy director of the Tibetan forestry department.

It is important to seek effective long-term protection of the wetlands in Tibet, he said. Endi