Jay Aldous, deputy secretary-general of the Convention on Wetlands, recently praised Wuhan's wetland protection efforts during a video speech at a conference in Wuhan, Hubei province.

Wuhan has vast wetland resources. Its 166 lakes and 165 rivers account for nearly a quarter of the city's area.

Wuhan has taken the lead in wetland protection by introducing regulations for wetland nature reserves and creating a wetland ecological compensation system. The regulations focus on environmental restoration and integrated governance of the natural environment, leading to the establishment of national wetland parks. At the same time, the city has developed its technological capabilities and built an intelligent monitoring system to protect 40,000 hectares of important wetlands.

After continuous ecological restoration and comprehensive watershed management, the water quality of the Chenhu Lake wetland has steadily improved, reaching Grade III standards in January this year. More than 30,000 migratory birds now nest and breed there.

As an international wetland city, Wuhan will continue to contribute positive examples of global wetland protection with its forward-looking vision, Aldous said.

Yang Che contributed to this story.

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