Regulation issued on China's first national wetland park

HANGZHOU, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Local authorities in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, have released the latest regulation on the protection and management of the Xixi National Wetland Park, with the new rules coming into effect on June 1.

The regulation, issued on Tuesday, specifies the park's range and highlights efforts to further conserve the area's original ecosystems.

With a total area of 11.5 square km, the Xixi National Wetland Park is China's first national wetland park. Open to the public since 2005, it boasts rare wetlands set among modern urban landscapes.

According to the regulation, the municipal government is expected to establish a coordination mechanism for the park's protection and management.

In order to protect the local ecology, the regulation states that bodies of water and their sources within the park should remain in their original ecological state. Waste-water and sewage discharges into the park are forbidden. Meanwhile, production facilities that may cause pollution are banned from the park and its surrounding protection areas, as are waste dumping and landfill sites, according to the document.

The regulation also pays attention to rules for introducing alien species and releasing animals into the park, and requires the park administration to conduct proper monitoring, prevention and control of harmful organisms.

The hunting of terrestrial wildlife is banned in the park, as are the felling, transplanting and pruning of trees without authorization. Any collection of the park's plant resources is also placed under strict control.