ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND CLASSIFICATION OF CHINESE WETLANDS

China supports a great variety of wetlands, including some of the most important in the world. However, an appropriate classification system applicable to all wetlands is not available. Based on a preliminary i nventory, a new classification system for Chinese wetlands is proposed . This system classifies natural wetlands into three categories on the basis of their natural features and distribution: peatlands, coastal and estuarine wetlands, and riverine and lacustrine wetlands. Each cat egory is divided into several sub-classes. The areal extent of wetland s in each Province has been estimated and their ecological importance assessed.