International mangrove center to be set up in Shenzhen

The Standing Committee of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands approved the establishment of the International Mangrove Center in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Wednesday.

The center will be conducive to China to carry out international cooperation and exchanges on mangrove protection and restoration with all parties through the convention platform. It will also promote the global mangrove protection and restoration and rational utilization, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said.

At the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands held in Wuhan, Hubei province, last year, China announced that it would strengthen global cooperation on wetland conservation and establish an international mangrove center in Shenzhen.

Thanks to the country's efforts, China's mangrove area has increased by more than 7,200 hectares compared with the beginning of this century, reversing the trend of area reduction, the administration said.