Wang Jingli

wangjingli0715@163.com

SHENZHEN will promote the building of an international city of wetlands and continuously develop the International Mangrove Center (IMC) with high standards, as announced by government officials at a news conference held by the city government Thursday.

The news conference came hours after Shenzhen Executive Vice Mayor Tao Yongxin shared the city’s green and low-carbon development practices and achievements at the China High-Level Event on Subnational Climate Action held in California, the United States.

In the following years, efforts will be made to promote the signing of the IMC Host Country Agreement and an agreement on supporting the establishment of the IMC by the 26 member countries of the “Group of Friends of the IMC,” Zhang Qian, director of the task force office in charge of construction of the IMC, said at the news conference.

The city will also strive to unveil a wetland protection plan for 2024-2035, Zhang said.

The mangrove is Shenzhen’s city tree. Currently, Shenzhen has eight natural reserves where mangroves are found, totaling 185.3 hectares of mangrove forests. This accounts for 62.56% of the city’s total mangrove coverage.

By the end of last year, Shenzhen had created 15.48 hectares of mangrove forests and restored 103 hectares of existing mangrove forests.

By the end of 2021, the total area of mangroves in Shenzhen had reached 296.18 hectares, a 68.57% increase compared to nine years ago.

Meanwhile, Shenzhen has always been a pioneer and pathfinder in green, low-carbon development, Guo Ziping, director of the city’s economic planner, said during the news conference.

In a further move, the city will pilot green and low-carbon renovation projects at 100 industrial parks across the city this year.

By the end of last year, the city’s new energy vehicle ownership had reached 971,000 units, and Shenzhen had built 128 national-level green factories, according to Guo.

Over the past decade, Shenzhen’s carbon emissions trading market has recorded an accumulated trading volume of more than 100 million tons. This robust performance has cemented its position as a leader in carbon trading, with the annual turnover rate consistently ranking first in the nation for several years running, as per the conference.