The State Forestry Administration has agreed to provide financial and promotional support for four new wetland parks in Tibet.

Its approval of the parks in Chamdo, Shannan prefecture and Nagqu prefecture brings the number of wetland parks with State backing in Tibet to 14, said Zhang Hucheng, deputy director of wildlife protection with the regional forestry department.

The new parks cover 15,400 hectares. One of them, Drolma Langtso, is at the source of the Nujiang River.

“Establishing more wetland parks will help us protect water resources and biodiversity,” Zhang said.

Tibet has more than 6.5 million hectares of wetland. Statistics show that the wetland area in Tibet has grown by 524,200 hectares over the last 10 years.

The Tibetan regional government has allocated 48 million yuan ($7.3 million) for the 2016-18 period to compensate local communities for their contribution to wetland protection.

Local herders have been told to stop or curtail herding in key conservation areas. Some local residents have been hired by the forestry department as patrollers in the wetlands.

Wetlands have been key to conserving water resources, tempering local climate and ensuring the environmental safety in the plateau region, said Zongga, deputy director of the Tibetan forestry department.