Before-and-after photos show how new cultivated reeds help restore wetlands. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A Chinese institute recently cmuch progress has been made in protecting and restoring coastal wetlands in China, thanks to a series of innovative efforts.

Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, affiliated with the China Geological Survey of China's Ministry of Natural Resources, said it has built a monitoring system in Liaohe River Delta in Northeast China, which covers a multi-layered ecosystem combing water, sediment, atmosphere and living creatures.

The institute also independently developed unique technical equipment for greenhouse gas measurement and soil carbon sequestration, acquiring 16 domestic and foreign patents.

The Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology established an observational network on a coastal wetland to study temperature change. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The institute also cultivated four varieties of reeds out of 91 genomic species worldwide to help restore wetlands. The cultivated varieties adapt to climate and geological conditions in North China with saline-alkali tolerant and disease resistance features.

Wetlands are often transitional zones between terrestrial and deep-water aquatic systems, and many processes have major implications for species.

A strech of wetland with reeds. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

Researchers doing investigative work in a coastal wetland in northeastern China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]