HANGZHOU, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) --Xixi National Wetland Park, located on the outskirts of Hangzhou, is the first national wetland park in China.
With a total area of 11.5 square kilometers, it has helped to restore the local ecology.
During an inspection tour in Zhejiang Province, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the park and stressed the importance of protecting wetland ecology and the aquatic environment.
Xixi Wetland was once under threat from overdevelopment in early 2000.
In 2003, with the advocacy and support of Xi Jinping, then secretary of the Zhejiang provincial committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the protection project of Xixi Wetland was launched.
In 2004, staff of the former State Forestry Administration came to Xixi Wetland and proposed to establish a wetland park here.
It's the first of its kind in China to protect the wetland and allow citizens to get closer to nature.
In 2005, Xixi National Wetland Park was opened to the public.
Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter, urging the wetland park to improve its work on protection, management, operation and research areas, making Xixi and Hangzhou more beautiful.
In November 2009, Xixi Wetland was listed as a Wetland of International Importance according to the Convention of Wetlands.
It has seen increased varieties of vascular plants from 221 to 700, and birds from 79 to 186 over the years.
Starting from Xixi, China has established 899 national wetland parks over the past decade, forging harmony between human beings and nature.