Harbin, capital of China's northernmost Heilongjiang province, is showcasing its wetlands at the ongoing 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP 14), which is being held both in Wuhan in Central China's Hubei province and Geneva, Switzerland.
 
Harbin was one of the first 18 cities in the world to be voted as an "International Wetland City" at the 54th meeting of the standing committee of the convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat.
 
Being recognized as an International Wetland City is the highest honor a city can achieve in protecting wetlands. It is a voluntary scheme launched in June 2017 by the Convention to improve cities' awareness about wetland protection and reasonable use, as well as advance the construction of a modern civilization in harmony with its ecological heritage in China.
   
Wetlands play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystems, water resources, biosecurity and coping with global climate change.
 
In recent years, Harbin has continued to increase the protection of wetlands, and the 198,700 hectares of wetlands within its jurisdiction have seen strong environmental improvements.
 
To date, Harbin has built one wetland of international importance, eight wetland-type provincial nature reserves, and 15 wetland parks.
 
Harbin's wetlands are rich in biodiversity, with 848 species of seed plants, accounting for about 35 percent of the seed plants in Heilongjiang province. They are also home to 57 species of benthic invertebrates and 470 species of vertebrates.
 
Such rare and endangered species as the Oriental White Stork and the Chinese merganser duck also thrive in the wetlands of Harbin.