title: Balancing the Needs of China's Wetland Conservation and Rice Production.
abstract: China's rice policy for protecting paddy fields and constructing rice production bases is in conflict with its wetland conservation strategy. The policy will increase the rice planting area, the loss of remaining wetlands, and environmental pollution, with intensive application of fertilizers and heavy use of pesticides. The key to resolving this conflict is to bring rice production in compliance with wetland conservation and sustainable agriculture. An operational, sound regulatory program is needed to improve China's wetland conservation. Using wetland conservation in the US as an example, we argue that more effective technical guidelines for wetland inventory and monitoring are necessary to support the implementation of the regulatory program. Agricultural conservation programs are also needed to stop further wetland loss from agricultural usages. An ecoagricultural strategy and practice should be adopted for rice production to reduce pollution and loss of remaining wetlands. Agroecological engineering tools can be used to reduce the impacts of nutrient- and pesticide-enriched agricultural runoff to wetlands.
authors.affiliation: †Applied Sciences Bureau, South Florida Water Management District, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33406, United States.
authors.forename: Hongjun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: ‡Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130102 Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Guoping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: ‡Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130102 Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Xianguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: ‡Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130102 Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: §Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, School of the Coast and Environment, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States.
authors.forename: Irving A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Mendelssohn
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods; D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005308:Fertilizers / Q000032:analysis; D033161:Government Regulation; D012275:Oryza / Q000254:growth & development*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D010575:Pesticides