The Discipline Construction and Development of Wetland in China

Wetland science,as the interdisciplinary science among geography,ecology and environmental science,mainly studies the formation and evolution laws as well as the conservation and utilization of wetland.Initial studies on wetland science stepped from the comprehensive reviews of marsh and peat resource.But now the studies focus on the ecological process of different types of wetland,which include swamp,lacustrine,riverine and mangrove wetlands.Important research outcomes were made on the wetland concept,wetland classification,comprehensive study of wetland system,wetland and global changes,wetland restoration and construction.In the future,wetland researches should further identify wetland concept,construct perfect wetland discipline system,enhance complex studies on the interaction of water,soil and wildlife,intensify wetland ecological hydrology,the responses of wetland to global changes and the restoration theories as well as techniques for degraded wetland,and research on the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetland.