GUIYANG -- The protected wetland area in Southwest China's Guizhou province has exceeded 120,000 hectares, according to the provincial forestry bureau.

The proportion of wetlands under protection in the province has increased from 26.53 percent in 2012 to 51.53 percent at present, the bureau said.

Guizhou has a total of around 234,935 hectares of wetlands. Over the past few years, the province has issued regulations and plans on wetland protection and restoration.

The province will work on the construction of a wetland management system, crack down on the illegal occupation and destruction of wetlands, strengthen the monitoring of wetland resources and establish a wetland monitoring database, according to the bureau.