China has set up a state committee to perform the Convention of Wetlands, according to sources from the State Forestry Administration (SFA).

A spokesman for the SFA said that the committee comprises 16 government departments including the SFA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The committee will coordinate and guide relevant departments to perform the Convention on Wetlands, study and formulate relevant principles and policies, and coordination international cooperation.

He said China has 38.48 million hectares of wetlands, topping Asian countries and ranking the fourth in the world, and it has all the wetlands species classified in the Convention on Wetlands.

China joined the Convention on Wetlands in 1992. In 2001, China launched a drive to build nature reserves for wild animals and plants, of which the protection of wetlands is an important part.

In 2006, China listed the wetland protection project into its 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010).

(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2007)