Wuxi's law for wetland protection to take effect May 1

The first local regulations for wetland protection in Wuxi have been recently approved by the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress and will be officially put into operation on May 1.

According to the regulations, small- and micro-sized wetlands are defined as lake wetlands, marsh wetlands, or reservoir and pond wetlands, with an area of less than eight hectares. They will be defined as river wetlands, with a width of less than 10 meters and a length of less than 5,000 meters. These small- and micro-sized wetlands are all included in the protection range of the new regulations.

Reputed as the Pearl of Taihu Lake, Wuxi is a city with many rivers in and surrounding it, which has led to the development of a variety of wetland landscapes. Workers from the local natural resources and planning bureau said that the regulation can help avoid man-made landfills or cutting off wetland water sources.

The regulations also stressed the importance of wildlife protection, as the status of bird biodiversity is an important indicator to measure the effectiveness of wetland protection. It proposed to designate wetlands where waterbirds concentrate, as well as where migratory birds migrate and stop as bird habitats.

The regulations urged the related management department of each bird habitat to take measures to provide a good ecological environment for bird breeding and habitation.

In order to promote public awareness of wetland protection, the regulations also designated the third week of each April as the Wuxi Wetland Protection Publicity Week.