COVERING 1,997.4 sqkm of land and 2,030 sqkm of sea, Shenzhen is a coastal city rich in natural resources, where a population of over 20 million people and more than 30,000 species coexist in harmony.

Over the past years, Shenzhen has been committed to protecting biodiversity as it places equal importance on ecological environment protection and economic and social development, according to a report by Chinese-language Shenzhen Special Zone Daily yesterday.

The vibrant Futian mangrove wetland has been identified as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Together with the Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay wetlands in Hong Kong, the Futian mangrove wetland has become a significant stopover for tens of thousands of migratory birds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway every winter.

Shenzhen has introduced a series of policies and regulations to salvage and protect a number of important wetland resources. It has established a wetland conservation and management system, accelerated the ecological environment governance of river bays, and carried out a range of wetland and mangrove ecological restoration projects, yielding remarkable results.

For instance, during the construction of Binhai Thoroughfare, the city was willing to put extra money to make the road bypass the Guangdong Neilingding-Futian National Nature Reserve, leaving behind an ecological asset for today’s urban development.

In 2005, Shenzhen took the lead in the country in delineating a basic ecological control line of 974.5 sqkm, establishing the fundamental layout of the city’s ecological space.

In 2007, mangrove was designated as the city tree and became a cultural symbol of the “Shenzhen Spirit.” In 2014, a fishing ban was imposed in Shenzhen Bay.

Shenzhen has been widely recognized by the international community for encouraging social organizations to engage in ecological protection and nature education.

The Shenzhen Mangrove Wetlands Conservation Foundation (MCF), set up in 2012, is the first local environmental public-raising foundation initiated by nongovernmental organization in China.

In 2015, MCF took over the management of Futian Mangrove Ecological Park, becoming the first environmental protection charity organization in China to manage an urban ecological park.

Over the years, MCF has played an active role in mangrove restoration and wetland education.

It has also increased its global presence by becoming the Global Mangrove Alliance’s first member organization from the Chinese mainland and a partner of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership.

Shenzhen is now actively promoting the establishment of a cross-regional international mangrove protection and cooperation mechanism, accelerating the creation of a global hub for international multilateral environmental mechanisms and a global marine center.

This year, Shenzhen will commence the construction of a mangrove wetland museum, and work on wetland protection regulations.

(Zhang Yu)