The Hetao irrigation area in Inner Mongolia has abundant and a great variety of wetland resources. However, in recent years, this area had different extents of degeneration and serious eutrophication and salinization due to human activities and their damage to the environment. Combining indoor remote sensing interpretation and outdoor survey, we investigated the present situation of wetlands in Hetao irrigation area. As per wetland formation cause, wetland water source supply and water discharge in this area, the wetlands can be classified into 7 types. It was found that the quantity and area of wetlands in this area had great relationships with the annual precipitation. In addition, the types of wetlands and surrounding vegetation in this area were relatively single, where 33 families and 81 genera of plants were found, totaling 123 varieties. The number of varieties of plants only accounted for less than 50% of the total number in this area, showing apparent regional characteristics.

wetland genesis  /  wetland vegetation  /  Hetao irrigation area