Zhang Qian

    zhqcindy@163.com

    SHENZHEN will be welcoming thousands of botanical experts in July as the XIX International Botanical Conference (IBC) will hit the city from July 23 to 29. A 100-day countdown ceremony was held at the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden on Saturday to show the city’s ambitions to organize this global conference.

    The XIX IBC, to take place at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District, will be held under the auspices of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), through the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies (IABMS) of the IUBS. It is the first time that the congress will be hosted by a city in a developing country.

    A giant wall section with plants arranged to read “100” was installed at the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, one of Shenzhen’s most iconic parks for greenery and plants.

    According to the organizing committee of the congress, 5,628 experts in botany from 104 countries and regions have registered to attend the conference in Shenzhen, setting a record since its first gathering in Paris back in 1900.

    It has been confirmed that 212 seminars will be held during the weeklong congress, with 1,450 academic reports to be presented. The number of seminars will also be the largest of all the previous conferences.

    Organizing the global conference has also boosted other activities around the theme of plants, such as knowledge promotion activities targeting Shenzhen residents and students and setting up scholarships for botanical science majors in Shenzhen.

    During the countdown ceremony, 10 volunteers from Shenzhen University, part of the volunteer group that is going to serve at the congress in July, took an oath to devote their time and effort in serving the global event, experts and visitors.

    The Shenzhen Declaration will be announced during the congress by a special committee summoned to draft the declaration that expresses China’s ambition and willingness to contribute to green and sustainable development as well as other major global issues, such as food safety and biodiversity protection.

    Held every six years, IBC is a major convention that brings together scientists to discuss new research in plant sciences as well as broader fields, including botany, mycology, ecology and agriculture.

    The botanical garden also held an Open Day on Saturday for residents. Without having to pay a fee, 15,000 visitors entered the park to witness the countdown to the XIX IBC and participate in an array of science knowledge promotion activities organized by the park. The garden also opened its scientific research building and seed center.