Yinchuan National Wetland Park and Xinhaihu Wetland Park in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region are among 12 parks that have won national recognition.

The recognition means that the parks will be eligible for support from the central government for protection and restoration. The parks were part of a group of 145 wetland parks that began construction in 2005 as potential national wetland parks.

In recent years, China has been restoring its wetland ecosystems to improve water quality and increase biological diversity. Now, China has 41 wetlands on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

Wetlands are a unique natural resource that play an irreplaceable role in maintaining ecological security, climate security and fresh water safety, said Jia Zhibang, head of the State Forestry Administration.

Jia said China has been paying close attention to the protection and restoration of wetlands and have established a sound wetland protection system, as well as improved technology for wetland restoration.

The central government has allocated 3.1 billion yuan (US$486 million) over the past five years to 205 wetland protection projects, restoring a wetland area of nearly 80,000 hectares, Jia said.