Sustainable Future: The 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves opens in Hangzhou
The 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, the premier global conference under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, kicked off in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on September 22. Our reporter Liu Jiaxin has the latest.
More than 4,000 people from over 150 countries and regions gathered here are concerned about the same issue: sustainable development of humans and nature.
One of the major messages that China is conveying during the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves is cooperation in ecological protection.
DING XUEXIANG Vice Premier of the State Council, People's Republic of China "We must jointly solve major scientific and technological problems in the field of ecological environment, promote green and low-carbon research and development and the transformation and application of results, and vigorously promote the sharing of scientific and technological achievements."
UNESCO launched the Man and Biosphere program in 1971. Today, 759 Biosphere Reserves have been established across 136 countries and regions, roughly 5% of the Earth's land surface.
LIU JIAXIN Beijing "China, which joined the Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1973, now boasts 34 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, the most in Asia. This marks the first time the prestigious UNESCO conference is being held outside Europe and the Americas, highlighting global recognition of China's contributions to the Man and the Biosphere Programme."
MICHAEL SCOULLOS Chairman, Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development "We are very glad to be in China, to see all the progress here. And also we would like to see all the networks of biosphere reserves are becoming more active of sustainable development."
PUNUO BAIMADANZENG Director of Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences "I work on plant conservation and utilization. I believe we should gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between humans and nature, thereby uncovering the profound unknowns of nature."
Running until Thursday, the congress will release a landmark ten-year blueprint for the World Network of Biosphere Reserves and the Hangzhou Declaration, reaffirming China's commitment to working with the international community to address ecological challenges and to build "a shared future for humans and nature."
Liu Jiaxin, CGTN, Hangzhou.
