Preparations for 14th COP meeting on wetland conservation on track

Photo taken on July 22, 2022 shows Baer's pochards and white-eyed pochards in Baiyangdian Lake in Xiongan New Area, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

Preparation works for the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) are being carried out actively, an official with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said Thursday.

The meeting will be held from Nov. 5 to 13, with its main venue in central China's Wuhan city and a parallel session in Geneva, Switzerland, in both physical and online formats, said Yang Fengwei, an official with the administration, at a press conference.

The meeting will discuss the future development of the convention, review significant implementation issues, and tell the Chinese story of the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, Yang said.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, also known as the Convention on Wetlands, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

China has adopted several measures to protect wetlands, including promoting wetland legislation, implementing wetland protection and restoration schemes, designating internationally significant wetlands, and carrying out wetland surveys.