China's 38 million hectares of wetlands are the largest in Asia and the fourth biggest in the world, thanks to its protection and recovery campaign.

The State Forestry Administration (SFA) released the figures on Friday, World Wetland Day, which falls on February 2 every year.

"Despite many difficulties in wetland protection and recovery, the country has kept wetland coverage stable since 2003," said Jia Zhibang, director of the SFA.

According to the country's first national survey on its wetland resources in 2003, China had more than 380,000 wetland areas of over 100 hectares at that time. Four years on, this coverage has been sustained at the same level.

Last year China invested 366 million yuan (US$48 million) in its 12 protection and recovery projects covering 48 wetland areas.

In total, the country has set up more than 470 wetland nature reserves nationwide and about 45 percent of its wetlands, or 17 million hectares, are protected.

The country plans to raise its protection of wetlands to 50 percent by 2010.

But Jia pointed out that China's wetlands were still threatened by water pollution, water pumping and destruction of wildlife.

"China was late to begin protecting its wetlands compared with other countries. We need to do more, such as proper planning, improving management, upgrading legislation, conserving water and educating the public," Jia said.

This year's World Wetland Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of fish and fisheries.

World Wide Fund for Nature China representative Dermot O'Gorman said the organization's projects in the country had shown wetland conservation could be sustainable only if people from wetland communities benefited from the protection.

(China Daily February 3, 2007)