On the 27th World Wetlands Day, which fell on Feb. 2, China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced that 18 wetlands in the country, including a mangrove wetland in Shenzhen’s Futian, had been designated as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
There are now 82 Wetlands of International Importance in China, covering a surface area of 7.65 million hectares, the fourth largest in the world.
Futian mangrove wetland is relatively small among China’s newly recognized Wetlands of International Importance. However, it is the only original one of its kind located in the center of a city in the world. It is famous for its large amount and different varieties of waterfowl.
Located in the northeast of Shenzhen Bay, Futian mangrove wetland is a representative wetland of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and one of the seven national nature reserves focusing on mangrove ecosystem conservation.
The wetland covers an area of 367.64 hectares, including intertidal mudflats, intertidal forest wetlands and aquatic ponds. Its main conservation targets are mangroves and waterfowl.
Futian mangrove wetland and the Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region are separated by water and share a common ecosystem. The inclusion of both on the List of Wetlands of International Importance will bring about closer cooperation between the two wetlands.
To comprehensively enhance the ecological carrying capacity of Futian mangrove wetland, Shenzhen will apply science and technology to develop smart reserves, including establishing a research and monitoring database and improving the overall research and management levels of the reserves, strengthen the construction of a public service platform for mangrove scientific research, and build a laboratory with great academic value.