(Photo provided to Xinhua Daily)
The World Coastal Forum (WCF) is set to take place in Yancheng City of Jiangsu Province from September 25 to 27, according to a press conference held on September 5.
The forum will be jointly hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
About 400 representatives from government departments, UN agencies, international organizations, academic institutions, and enterprises will attend the event, which will include an opening ceremony, seminars and exhibitions.
The forum aims to share practices for green and low-carbon development along coastlines, and advance the harmony between people and nature, and serve as a platform for international cooperation in sustainable coastal development.
The event will feature a variety of activities, including the release of a report on the status of the global coastal ecosystem, the English version of the 2023 Blue Book of China's Ecological Conservation Redlines, the international cases of synergy between coastal ecology and disaster mitigation, and an initiative of the World Coastal Forum Partnership.
The forum will focus on four topics - coastal ecosystem protection and restoration, migratory species protection, sustainable development, and public participation - along with more than 10 seminars in the form of exchanges and case studies.
The event will call for international collaborative research projects and set up awards for coast-themed photography, writing and paintings. The exhibitions will showcase Yancheng’s green and low-carbon development as well as cultural creation.
China has attached great importance to the protection of migratory birds and wetlands, such as establishing the inter-ministerial joint conference for combating illegal wildlife trade with 27 member units and holding the annual Loving Birds Week. In addition, China has expanded international cooperation by joining the program for East Asian - Australasian Flyway, one of the world's great flyways of migratory birds, and collaborated with other countries in bird monitoring and protection.
In the press conference, Chen Xiaohui, chief planner of Jiangsu Provincial Natural Resources Department, underscored the province’s efforts to optimize the industrial layout and pursue sustainable development in the coastal area.
Key marine ecological projects in Lianyungang, Nantong and Yancheng, funded by the central government, have effectively restored coastal wetland ecosystems, enhanced the response capacity against marine disasters, and further increased the biodiversity. The three cities are currently compiling special plans for the protection and restoration of islands and coastlines.
Jiangsu’s gross marine product reached 904.6 billion yuan in 2022, which marked an increase of 7.4% year-on-year and accounted for 7.4% of the province’s GDP.
Wu Benhui, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Yancheng Committee and Vice Mayor of the city, said Yancheng boasts expansive coastal wetlands, the largest on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean, as well as a vast network of lakes and wetlands. On the east coast of China, Yancheng is one of the cities with the most complete types of wetlands, largest connected wetlands, and most robust protection system.
In recent years, the city has fostered a protection system with the ecological conservation redline as the boundary and the nature reserve as the core. Furthermore, Yancheng has ramped up efforts to construct a demonstration zone for green and low-carbon development, and worked towards achieving the dual-carbon goal.
