Wetland project in Tianjin gains speed

Various conservation tasks to begin soon; endangered bird species return

A 49-kilometer fencing project costing 20 million yuan ($3 million) will begin this month in the 44.9 sq km core areas of the city's Qilihai wetland.

The massive project comes early in an eight-year project that began last year, with 14 billion yuan allocated to transform the misused wetland area - a former tourist destination and hub of fishing and farming with a population of 25,000 - to regain its natural beauty, according to Tong Naiyong, director of the Qilihai administrative committee.