Development and Effects of Nature Conservation in China …
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culture, meeting the needs of the public for a better life, and driving targeted
poverty alleviation.
(3) Geological parks. The concept of a geological park dates back to the 1980s.
In February 1999, UNESCO launched the Geoparks Program, which gave
rise to the term “geopark.” Following the principle that geological heritage
should be simultaneously developed and protected, geoparks have played a
major role in the protection of geological heritage and the environment, popularizing geoscience, providing employment opportunities, advocating sciencethemed tourism, and improving public scientific literacy. The remarkable benefits brought by geoparks have been universally recognized by local governments and all sectors of society. Geoparks have become one of the best ways
to use natural resources in a sustainable way.
China is one of the few countries in the world with a full range of geological heritage sites distributed widely across the country. China’s geoparks are
divided into international, national, provincial, and county-level geoparks. As
of 2017, China had built 239 national geoparks and more than 100 provincial
geoparks, 35 of which had been included in the list of UNESCO Global Geoparks. In Taiwan of China, there are also village-level geoparks. Thus, China has
basically put in place a sound geopark network featuring all types of geological
heritage and covering the entire country.
(4) Wetland parks. A wetland park is an area of wetland turned into a park for
wetland ecosystem conservation, demonstration of the functions and sustainable use of the wetland ecosystem, and science popularization and education.
Wetland parks have cultural and aesthetic values and are managed for scientific
research and public enjoyment. Wetland parks are natural ecosystems adapted
to cities. They are public parks with multiple functions. At the same time, they
are also open systems that play an important role in maintaining urban ecological balance and promoting sustainable development. They are managed mainly
for science education, sustainable use of resources, and public enjoyment.
Since joining the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
in 1992, China has been working to strengthen wetland protection and promote
sustainable use of wetlands, and giving full play to the functions of wetlands
for the benefit of both the present and future generations. In 2003, the State
Council approved the Plan for the National Wetland Protection, providing new
impetus for the development of wetland parks in China. Xixi Wetland Park
formally joined the national wetland park pilot program of the State Forestry
Administration in 2005. As of 2017, the total areas of natural wetland parks
in China reached 21.85 million hectares, and 706 national wetland park pilot
projects had been approved nationwide. Among them, 98 had passed relevant
inspections and were formally named national wetland parks and 49 had been
recognized as internationally important wetlands.
(5) Drinking water sources. China is unique in being both water-rich and waterpoor. China is rich in water resources in terms of the total quantity: The
total quantity of freshwater resources in China registers about 2.8 trillion m
3 ,
accounting for 6% of the world total and ranking fourth in the world. However,
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culture, meeting the needs of the public for a better life, and driving targeted
poverty alleviation.
(3) Geological parks. The concept of a geological park dates back to the 1980s.
In February 1999, UNESCO launched the Geoparks Program, which gave
rise to the term “geopark.” Following the principle that geological heritage
should be simultaneously developed and protected, geoparks have played a
major role in the protection of geological heritage and the environment, popularizing geoscience, providing employment opportunities, advocating sciencethemed tourism, and improving public scientific literacy. The remarkable benefits brought by geoparks have been universally recognized by local governments and all sectors of society. Geoparks have become one of the best ways
to use natural resources in a sustainable way.
China is one of the few countries in the world with a full range of geological heritage sites distributed widely across the country. China’s geoparks are
divided into international, national, provincial, and county-level geoparks. As
of 2017, China had built 239 national geoparks and more than 100 provincial
geoparks, 35 of which had been included in the list of UNESCO Global Geoparks. In Taiwan of China, there are also village-level geoparks. Thus, China has
basically put in place a sound geopark network featuring all types of geological
heritage and covering the entire country.
(4) Wetland parks. A wetland park is an area of wetland turned into a park for
wetland ecosystem conservation, demonstration of the functions and sustainable use of the wetland ecosystem, and science popularization and education.
Wetland parks have cultural and aesthetic values and are managed for scientific
research and public enjoyment. Wetland parks are natural ecosystems adapted
to cities. They are public parks with multiple functions. At the same time, they
are also open systems that play an important role in maintaining urban ecological balance and promoting sustainable development. They are managed mainly
for science education, sustainable use of resources, and public enjoyment.
Since joining the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
in 1992, China has been working to strengthen wetland protection and promote
sustainable use of wetlands, and giving full play to the functions of wetlands
for the benefit of both the present and future generations. In 2003, the State
Council approved the Plan for the National Wetland Protection, providing new
impetus for the development of wetland parks in China. Xixi Wetland Park
formally joined the national wetland park pilot program of the State Forestry
Administration in 2005. As of 2017, the total areas of natural wetland parks
in China reached 21.85 million hectares, and 706 national wetland park pilot
projects had been approved nationwide. Among them, 98 had passed relevant
inspections and were formally named national wetland parks and 49 had been
recognized as internationally important wetlands.
(5) Drinking water sources. China is unique in being both water-rich and waterpoor. China is rich in water resources in terms of the total quantity: The
total quantity of freshwater resources in China registers about 2.8 trillion m
3 ,
accounting for 6% of the world total and ranking fourth in the world. However,