On February 2, 2020, we will welcome the 24th World Wetlands Day with the theme: Wetland Biodiversity Matters--Life Thrives in Wetlands.The aim is to recognize the positive impact of wetland biodiversity on the ecological environment and human survival and development, and to emphasize the importance of protecting wetland biodiversity!
Wetlands are the transition zone between land and water bodies, so they are rich in both terrestrial and aquatic plant and animal resources, forming a natural gene pool and unique habitat unmatched by any other single ecosystem. China has many types of wetlands and rich wetland biodiversity, not only a large number of species, but also many species that are endemic to China. According to preliminary statistics, there are about 101 families of wetland vegetation in China, including about 94 families of vascular plants, and more than 100 species of higher plants in China's wetlands are endangered. There are about 8,200 species of wetland organisms in China's coastal zone, including 5,000 species of plants and 3,200 species of animals. There are about 1,548 species of higher plants and 1,500 species of higher animals in China's inland wetlands. There are more than 770 species or subspecies of freshwater fishes in China, including many migratory fishes, which spawn and breed with the help of the special environment provided by wetland systems. There are many species of birds in China's wetlands. Of the 57 endangered bird species in Asia, 31 species, or 54%, are found in China's wetlands; of the 166 species of geese and ducks in the world, 50 species, or 30%, are found in China's wetlands; of the 15 species of cranes in the world, only nine species have been recorded in China. In addition, there are many birds that belong to transnational migration. Some of the wetlands in China are the only wintering place or the necessary place of migration for some birds in the world, for example, the White Crane (Grus leucogeranus) wintering in Poyang Lake accounts for more than 95% of the total number in the world.