Han Ximin

1824295095@qq.com

THE Shenzhen Mangrove Conservation Foundation’s operational model for urban biodiversity conservation has received the Nature Stewardship award at the 2023 Paulson Prize.

The project, titled “Shenzhen Bay Model for Social Participation in Urban Biodiversity Conservation,” was selected as the winner from among more than 100 entries in the Nature Stewardship category of the Paulson Prize for Sustainability.

The Nature Stewardship category is designed to recognize and promote solutions that enhance the natural environment, addressing the pressing challenges of ecological degradation and biodiversity loss while encouraging people to coexist harmoniously with nature.

At the award ceremony held in Beijing on Tuesday, Professor Ma Keping, vice chair of the Biodiversity Committee at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, praised the Shenzhen Bay Model as an exemplary approach to ecological conservation and restoration for other cities. He highlighted its innovative use of social resources and enhanced public involvement.

“The success and failure of biodiversity conservation depend on social participation and support. This is a principle emphasized in the ‘Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,’” Ma said.

In a written response to Shenzhen Daily yesterday, the Shenzhen Mangrove Conservation Foundation stated that, as a social organization, they collaborated with various entities under the government’s support to mobilize social resources.

Their efforts led to the development of nature-based solutions for the protection of biodiversity and wetlands, as well as the promotion of biological education.

The Paulson Prize for Sustainability was established in 2013 by the Paulson Institute, in partnership with Tsinghua University.

Over the years, the award has gained recognition as one of the world’s most influential accolades. It is presented annually to projects in China that offer innovative and scalable solutions, bridging the realms of economics and the environment to combat the critical dual challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.