ZHENGZHOU -- Central China's Henan province will build 27 new wetland parks in an effort to protect and restore the wetland in the province, the provincial forestry bureau said.

The wetland parks will be set up in 11 cities, including the provincial capital of Zhengzhou, and they can be used for scientific, cultural, educational and recreational activities.

Over the past five years, Henan has enhanced protection of wetland. By the end of 2020, the area of wetland under protection in the province reached about 326,000 hectares, accounting for 52 percent of the provincial total, up from 37 percent in 2015.

Thanks to the conservation efforts, more than 150 species of rare birds in the wetlands along the Yellow River are now under better protection, according to the forestry bureau.