Yancheng, September 9 (Reporter Gu Hua) On the 25th, the 24 Global Coastal Forum Conference Youth Forum with the theme of "Gathering Youth Consensus and Cherishing the Earth's Wetlands" was held in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, where experts and scholars from the field of wetland protection and young people from all over the world discussed and exchanged ideas on the topic of wetland protection.
2023 Global Marina Forum Conference Youth Forum. Photo by Gu Hua
Yancheng, Jiangsu has 77,9 hectares of coastal wetlands with the largest area and the best ecological protection on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean and the edge of the Asian continent. As China's first coastal wetland World Natural Heritage Site, the Yancheng Yellow Sea Wetland has increasingly become a "poetry and distant place" in the hearts of more people. On September 25, the 2023 Global Coastal Forum meeting will be held in Yancheng.
"The forum aims to provide a global and diversified wetland conservation exchange platform for experts, scholars and youth in the field of global wetland conservation." Li Lanxiang, vice mayor of Yancheng City People's Government, said at the forum that he hoped that through this activity, the vast number of young people could enhance their understanding of Yancheng and appreciate the unique scenery of cranes dancing and deer dancing and thousands of birds soaring on the beach.
Zhou Yajun, second-level inspector of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, said at the forum that the coastal area is an important resource and space for human survival and development. Young people are the most innovative and creative group and a new force in the development of the coastal area. It is hoped that the vast number of young people can make full use of this platform, actively participate in discussions, express their own opinions and suggestions, and contribute wisdom and strength to the sustainable development of coastal areas.
University students read the Youth Wetland Conservation Declaration. Photo by Gu Hua
In 2019, Yancheng Normal University established the College of Wetland to provide theoretical guidance and intellectual support for the protection and management and sustainable development of wetland natural heritage, and carry out research on topics related to wetland conservation.
"To protect wetlands, youth come first. We should strive to be practitioners of wetland protection, disseminators of wetland culture, and pioneers of wetland economy, and contribute youth to promoting the sustainable development of coastal wetlands and building a modernization in which man and nature live in harmony. At the forum, students from the Wetland College of Yancheng Normal University jointly read the Youth Wetland Protection Declaration.
Yancheng Ecological Product Total Value (GEP) accounting results released. Photo by Gu Hua
At the forum, the accounting results of Yancheng's total ecological product value (GEP) were also released. It is understood that the achievement is the first local technical standard for the overall accounting of land and sea ecological products in China, and a sound technical and methodological system for the overall accounting of land, wetland and marine ecological products has been established. Accounting data show that as of 2021, the value of the stock of ecological assets in Yancheng's land and sea areas is 19.92 trillion yuan.
On the same day, youth representatives from various countries also shared keynote speeches, covering the current status of wetland conservation, environmental threats, and the importance of wetland protection. (End)