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Nine more Chinese cities and districts were awarded Wetland City Accreditation on Thursday, meaning China now ranks top internationally in recognized wetland cities.

The nine Chinese locations were among 31 places worldwide included in the wetland city list during the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP15) being held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

The announcement means that 22 locations in China have now passed Wetland City Accreditation, with a total of 74 on the list globally.

The nine cities and districts, including Shanghai municipality's Chongming district, Dali, Fuzhou, Hangzhou and Suzhou cities, have each demonstrated a unique approach to and progress in wetland protection and the coexistence of city development and nature to pass the Convention on Wetlands' accreditation.

The Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971, is the world's major international treaty focused on wetlands.

The week-long COP15 meeting has attracted 3,000 delegates from 172 members of the convention, with the Victoria Falls Declaration, which calls for global solidarity and increased investment in wetland protection and management, expected to be adopted.

During the meeting, Zimbabwe assumed the presidency of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, taking over from China.