Humans benefit from multiple ecosystem services of wetlands, but massive wetland loss has
occurred worldwide due to rapid urbanization. To assess the problem, it is necessary to
quantify the spatial extent of urbanization‐induced wetland loss. Here, we investigated the
amount and pattern of wetland loss in China due to urbanization from 1990 to 2010, based
on the China National Land Cover Database (ChinaCover). Our results show that, during
these 20 years, China lost 2,883 km2 of wetlands to urban expansion, of which about 2,394 …

Humans benefit from multiple ecosystem services of wetlands, but massive wetland loss has
occurred worldwide due to rapid urbanization. To assess the problem, it is necessary to
quantify the spatial extent of urbanization-induced wetland loss. Here, we investigated the
amount and pattern of wetland loss in China due to urbanization from 1990 to 2010, based
on the China National Land Cover Database (ChinaCover). Our results show that, during
these 20 years, China lost 2,883 km2 of wetlands to urban expansion, of which about 2,394 …