China’s Wuhan to host 14th COP meeting on wetland conservation in November

Photo shows the Wuhan East Lake National Wetland Park in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province. (Photo/Qin Yan)

The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) will take place between Nov. 5 and 13, 2022, with its main venue in central China’s Wuhan city and a parallel session in Geneva, Switzerland, in both physical and online formats, according to an official with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

As Wuhan was awarded Wetland City Accreditation in June this year, it is both the first time China will host such a meeting and the first time this type of meeting will be held in an international wetland city.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, also known as the Convention on Wetlands, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

Under the theme of “Wetlands Action for People and Nature,” the COP14 will discuss the future development of the convention, review significant implementation issues, and tell the Chinese story of the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, said Yang Fengwei, an official with the administration at a recent press conference.

The meeting will display China’s important achievements in wetland conservation, including introducing the Yellow River Estuary National Park and designating the country’s new wetlands of international importance, Yang said.

As this year marks the 30th anniversary of China’s accession to the treaty, Wuhan is turning a once-abandoned water plant in the East Lake scenic area into an exhibition center to showcase the country’s achievements in wetland conservation.

Photo shows a scene in the Chenhu Lake Wetland, a wetland of international importance in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province. (Photo/Wei Bin)

Wuhan has long been known as a city of wetlands. It boasts about 1,624 square kilometers of wetlands, accounting for 18.9 percent of the city’s total area, according to an official with the city’s gardening and forestry bureau.

In recent years, Wuhan has been committed to carrying out wetland ecological restoration. The city has built 10 wetland parks and five nature reserves, while steadily improving its water quality and gradually restoring wetland habitats.

To highlight Wuhan’s wetland resources, the city will host the COP14 at a venue near the Wuhan East Lake National Wetland Park, introduced Zhu Gongwei, vice secretary general of Wuhan Municipal People’s Government. Located in the East Lake, the largest urban lake in China, the wetland park covers an area of 10.2 square kilometers, including a water area of 6.5 square kilometers. The wetland park exemplifies a fine fusion between humans and nature.

Wuhan has deployed technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and cloud computing to ensure standardized and regular management of its wetlands. So far, the city has launched a “smart wetland” program, installing 162 IoT sensing devices to monitor the microclimate, water quality, soil, and wildlife, among others of its wetland resources.