Hunan to Invest 70 million yuan on Wetland Protection

The Hunan Provincial Development and Reform Commission has recently approved the plan of investing 70 million yuan into the Dongjiang National Lake conservation project, West Dongting Lake International Wetland restoration project phase II, and the Dongting Lake Wetland Demonstrative Zone for Comprehensive Utilization of Agricultural Resources.

The three projects are scheduled to be completed in 2014.

It is reported that 21.6181 million yuan will be utilized to complete the Dongjiang National Lake conservation project, which covers an area of 48, 0391.1 hectares. 28.9286 million yuan will be allocated for the West Dongting Lake International Wetland restoration project phase II with an area of 30,044 hectares.

In order to consolidate wetland preservation, the two projects will build up working rooms used for wetland protection and management, bird monitoring stations and field monitoring stations equipped with rescue equipment for wild animals, and a wetland research center.

Hunan boasts 58.96 million mu (about 3,930,667 hectares) of wetlands, the second largest wetland area-accounting for 10% of the national total-in the country. The province has increased efforts to preserve the wetland ecological system in recent years.