Wetland protection in Beijing, China; the importance of legislation

Unsustainable use and inappropriate management of wetlands has a wide range of consequences for humans and the environment. These include the loss and degradation of wetland ecosystems with detrimental effects on species survival, water-storage capacity, and enhance the risk of decreased ecological functions. As the human population continues to grow, these problems are likely to increase in severity. To date, there are no law specifically designed to protect Beijing wetlands; existing regulations only relate to one or a few of the elements of wetlands. However, there has been great effort toward the establishment of legislation and a legal document is expected to be released in the near future. In this paper, we focus on the main obstacles in Beijing wetland protection and management. Defects and deficiencies of existing regulations as well as methods for the protection and management of specific wetland elements are discussed. Some suggestions about the Beijing wetland protection legislation are provided. Each component of relevant wetland research is reviewed and related to wetland management and policy.