Tibetan Wetland Making ComebackTens of thousands of ducks and gulls have returned to the Lhalu Wetland in the Tibet Autonomous Region because the environment there has improved.The wetland, covering 6.2 square kilometres near Lhasa at an elevation of 3,645 metres, is the largest wetland in any of China's urban districts. More than 95 per cent of the wetland is covered with grass and other plants. The wetland area has shrunk from 10 square kilometres in the 1960s due to fish ponds, crop cultivation and the construction of new houses. Some parts of the wetland have dried up, reducing wildlife and fish. To curb ecological deterioration, the Lhasa government issued a regulation protecting the Lhalu Wetland last April and allocated 100 million yuan (US$12.1 million) for protection. |
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