BEIJING - China restored 23,000 hectares of wetlands in 2011, according to the latest figures from the State Forestry Administration (SFA).

An SFA spokesman said China reinforced wetland protection in 2011 by increasing subsidies in protecting wetlands. In the year the country carried out 42 wetland protection projects, increased 330,000 hectares of protected wetland areas, added four wetlands of international importance and 68 national wetland parks.

The spokesman said in 2012 the country will further step up wetland protection and restoration, finish the second national wetland resources investigation and carry out pilot projects in assessing healthy conditions of the wetland ecological system.

So far China has built more than 550 wetland natural reserves, 37 wetlands of international importance, which were listed in the Ramsar international wetland convention, and 100 national wetland parks. About half of the country's natural wetlands have been brought under effective protection, the SFA said.