Abstract: With a large area, various types and complex landscape structure, wetlands in the Liaohe Delta have many benefits to the regional economic development. Based on the classification system of wetlands, the present situation and distribution characteristics are studied through RS and GIS techniques. There are 314,857 hm² of wetlands, which account for 79.5% of the total urban area; among which there are 159,919 hm² of natural wetlands and 154,838 hm² of artificial wetlands, accounting for 50.8% and 49.2% of the total wetland area, respectively. Because of the regional resources exploitation for many years, wetlands have changed a great deal in area and structure. Some strategies are put forward in this paper to protect the ecological function of wetlands and solve the problems of the sustainable development between resources exploitation and wetland protection.