Yancheng is ramping up its efforts to boost its ecology, lifestyles and development
Yancheng city in East China's Jiangsu province will grab the global spotlight by hosting the 2023 World Coastal Forum from Sept 25 to 27.
The upcoming event is co-organized by the Jiangsu provincial government, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
It will have an opening ceremony, forums, symposiums, exhibitions and other activities under the main theme of "Our Coasts: Harmony between People and Nature".
Youth and women representatives, as well as delegates from related government departments, agencies of the United Nations, international organizations, academic institutions and enterprises will be invited to attend.
According to the organizers, the forum will share concepts and practices on promoting green and low-carbon development in coastal areas and boosting harmonious coexistence between human and nature.
It also plans to announce practical results, extend partnerships, build international consensus, and synergize relevant international conventions and global initiatives, they said.
For example, an outline of the report on the status of global coastal ecosystems will be released during the forum.
Also, the English version of China's Blue Book on Ecological Protection Red Lines (2023), and a collection of international cases to help reduce ecological disasters and enhance protection along the coastal belts will be launched.
The forum will invite participants to visit the China Yellow Sea Wetland Museum as part of the activities. The museum is home to more than 1,000 exhibits, mainly of which are animal and plant specimens including a sperm whale, red-crowned crane and elk. More importantly, it displays representative wetlands of the Yellow Sea ecological zone, and important habitats along bird migration routes via digital sand table models, holographic installations, 4D films and other technologies and services.
Also, various kinds of exhibitions, such as the Yancheng green and low-carbon development demonstration exhibition and a bird-watching equipment exhibition will be held during the forum to enhance public awareness of ecological protection.
This coastal forum developed from the international symposium of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf, which had been held by Yancheng between 2017-20.
The symposium has assisted multilateral cooperation in the Yellow Sea ecological zone.
It has also set up a cooperation platform for 22 countries and regions along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway including China, the United States, Russia and Australia, and deepened their protection of coastal wetlands and migratory birds.
The East Asian-Australasian Flyway is one of the nine largest flyways globally. It extends from Alaska in the US to the Russian Far East in the north, and Australia and New Zealand in the south.
In July 2019, the Migratory Bird Sanctuarise along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The upgrading of the forum can better assist international cooperation and communication centering on ecological management, environmental protection and nature conservation of coastal wetlands.
The forum is also expected to demonstrate China's practical actions in global ecological governance in the international community, local officials said.
As for Yancheng, it will help establish a unique brand globally, improve the city's international influence, and share its experience in ecological conservation and coastal wetland protection.
Yancheng boasts the best-preserved intertidal mudflats on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean and the edge of the Asian continent, covering a total area of 455,333 hectares.
Each year, the city becomes the rest, breeding and wintering site for millions of migratory birds during their migration along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway route.
haonan@chinadaily.com.cn
With vast wetlands and untouched natural environment, Yancheng city in Jiangsu province is home to a variety of wild animals. CHINA DAILY
With vast wetlands and untouched natural environment, Yancheng city in Jiangsu province is home to a variety of wild animals. CHINA DAILY
With vast wetlands and untouched natural environment, Yancheng city in Jiangsu province is home to a variety of wild animals. CHINA DAILY