22 November 2010: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is working with China’s Wetland Management Bureau and Wetlands International to restore and conserve peat-lands in Ruoergai County, China.

The wetlands of the region are threatened by drainage holes that have led to soil and water erosion. The peat-lands provide a great number of ecosystem services, and people in the Sichuan and Gansu Provinces rely on them for their food security and livelihoods. The UNDP project, which began in 2007, uses a number of techniques and methodologies, including strictly controlling wetland use and placing moratoriums on animal grazing and seeding to restore grasslands. The benefits of the project include increased public awareness about the importance of wetlands, and installed solar energy water heaters in wetland communities, which reduce the amount of peat being used as fuel. In addition, by preserving the wetlands, the project has maintained the ecosystem services they provide, such as: being major water reservoirs; storing carbon; serving as natural water treatment systems; and providing key habitats for endangered wildlife species. [UNDP Press Release]