China's government will put half of the country's wetland areas under efficient state protection by 2010, State Forestry Administration head Jia Zhibang told Xinhua on Sunday.

Jia said the country's second wetland survey would be launched this year, in a bid to tackle problems and better monitor and manage the areas. The first national wetland resources survey was in 2003.

The government was considering banning commercial real estate developments on wetlands in the near future.

It also planned to improve legislation and gradually perfect policies and systems to better protect wetland resources, Jia said, without giving details.

The government had earmarked 16.5 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion) to protect and restore wetlands during the 11th five-year plan period (2006-2010).

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. China has 38 national wetland parks, and more than 550 natural wetland reserves, holding 2.7 trillion tonnes of fresh water.

(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2009)