People’s Republic of China: Qingdao Water Resources and Wetland Protection Project
The project was designed to support the government’s efforts to address the pollution and water management issues of its marine ecosystems. The Qingdao municipal government in Shandong Province started the preparation of a new development strategy of “embracing bay development, surrounding bay protection” in 2008. The strategy was to involve the entire Jiaozhou bay developed area and address the needs of an additional future population of up to 3.5 million people by 2020. The municipal government used an integrated approach to planning that involved several geographic regions, emphasizing environment protection, new technology development, and ecotourism. This approach directly responded to the issue of a fragmented approach to development, which was identified as a major cause of most water management problems in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), particularly in coastal cities.
