SPC pushes for wetland protection

Shanghai ought to pass wetland regulations to clarify which government agencies are supposed to oversee which aspects of the city's bogs and marches, Jing'an and Baoshan district delegates proposed at Wednesday's meeting of the annual Shanghai People's Congress (SPC).

Improved oversight would help preserve the wetlands for water and migratory birds and prevent excessive development, the delegates said.

"New regulations would aim to nail down the different duties of the different government agencies and give general guidelines for preserving wetlands, so as to end the regulatory confusion and lack of rules for reference," said Cui Liping, a SPC delegate from Jing'an district who also works for the city's greenery authority.

There are currently no regulations governing the administration of the city's wetlands, so different government agencies, including agricultural, environmental protection and greenery authorities, have been charged with oversight, Cui said.

There are 3,197 square kilometers of wetlands in Shanghai, according to Cui's SPC proposal.

By comparison, the city has about 6,340 square kilometers of total territory.

"The city needs regulation to take a comprehensive approach to protecting the wetlands, rather than tackle just one problem at a time, which is ineffective in the long run," Cui told the Global Times.

The wetlands serve as the major habitat for about 700 wild species of animals and 400 species of plants, accounting for 80 percent of the city's total species of wild life, according to the proposal.

There is evidence that species of wild birds are in decline due to the loss of habitat. For example, the population of water fowl in Shanghai fell from 200,000 in 2006 to 150,000 in 2010, according to the Shanghai City Appearance and Environmental Sanitation Bureau.

"Shanghai's wetlands are not only home to local water birds. They also serve as an important stopover for migratory birds to rest, forage and gather strength during their long journey from Siberia to Australia," Cui told the Global Times.

Regulations would allow the government to outline punishments for those who pollute the wetlands or illegally transform them into farmland, said Qian Yiliang, a Baoshan district delegate and vice president of the Shanghai Bar Association.

For example, it would allow poachers to be criminally charged and polluters to be fined, Qian told the Global Times.

Jiang Long, a volunteer for a local environmental protection organization, welcomed the proposal. However, he suggested that the new regulations also take measures to reclaim wetlands that have already been slated for development.