OUR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT: Jilin Province, China

Nenjiang plain is located in the northeast of China, in the semi-arid mid-temperate zone. The plain is nowhere more than 100 metres above sea level. Much of the region consists of wetlands which are important for protecting biodiversity and marshland resources. The images show the vast marshland zone to the east of Baicheng City in Jinlin Province. Water bodies appear blue-black. The large area of water on the lower right of the image is Yueliangpao. The two images show how marshland has been lost and replaced by farmland, which appears red in the image. also indicated the loss of biodiversity in this region. Land salinization is beginning to occur along the banks of the river (white areas).

Imagery and text: China National Environmental Monitoring Centre