This Feb 24, 2020 aerial photo shows the Haizhu wetland and the Canton Tower in the distance in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province. (XIE HUIQIANG / XINHUA)

BEIJING – The ecological environment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and China’s two other urban clusters – Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Yangtze River Delta – has steadily improved over the past decade, according to reports released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

While the quality of the atmospheric and water environment has improved significantly, the efficiency of resource and energy use has increased, the CAS said. 

READ MORE: Marine technology makes Greater Bay Area greener, safer

Pollutant emissions in the clusters have also dropped, added the reports released on Tuesday.

CAS vice-president Zhang Tao said in the past 10 years, China's ecological environmental protection has undergone historical changes

The series of CAS reports revealed that China has made great achievements in its ecological environment over the past decade.

The total amount of freshwater resources available in China's lakes and reservoirs has increased significantly. The transparency of most lakes has steadily improved, as has the biodiversity in some important lakes, the reports show.

They also point out that the overall area of China's wetlands is on a trend of continual recovery, while wetland biodiversity protection has been fruitful.

As for mountains, the prevention and control of soil erosion has been highly effective, and an efficient mountain disaster prevention and control system has been built.

According to the reports, water conservation in the arid areas of northwest China has seen remarkable results, with increasing efficiency of water use and the expansion of areas using water-saving irrigation.

ALSO READ: Bay Area 'poised to be world's top green economy'

Zhang Tao, vice president of CAS, said that in the past 10 years, China's ecological environmental protection has undergone historical changes. 

CAS released the series of reports with the aim of helping to promote ecological environmental governance and protection in China through the scientific and systematic understanding of research objects, Zhang added.