Final Report - Asian Development Bank

TA 4721-PRC: Preparing the Shaanxi-Qinling Mountains Integrated Ecosystem Management Project
Final Report Appendix 5
wetlands is defined as "their sustainable utilization for the benefit of mankind in a way compatible with
the maintenance of the natural properties of the ecosystem". The primary concern of the Convention
is the welfare of wetlands and the waterfowl dependent on them. Article 1 of the Convention defines
wetlands as 'areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or
temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water
the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters'. All river, stream, pond, marsh, sandflat
and mudflat habitats upstream of, within and downstream of the study area, whether natural or
artificial, qualify as wetlands under this definition.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) resulted from the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (see www.biodiv.org). The Convention
called for drafting of a national biodiversity conservation strategy. The Standing Committee of the
People's Congress approved the Convention in June 1993, and China's Biodiversity Conservation
Action Plan (BCAP) was promulgated on 13 June 1994. BCAP listed priority projects for immediate
action, one of which was development of a nature reserve in the Sanjiang Plain.
Multi-lateral Agreements
Numerous agreements have been reached between China and other countries to protect and manage
biodiversity. The list below includes some of those agreements.
� Sino-Japanese Agreement on the Protection of Migratory Birds (1981) protects birds from
sale, over harvest, and habitat destruction;
� Protocol on Exchange and Cooperation in Nature Conservation between SFA and US
Department of Internal Affairs (1986);
� Sino-Australian Agreement for the Protection of Migratory Birds and their Environment (1
September 1988) protects birds from sale, over harvest, and habitat destruction;
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