Representatives of APEC economies gather in Xiamen to discuss Asia-Pacific marine ecological protection and resilience improvement

China News Service, Xiamen, November 7 (Reporter Lin Yongchuan) From the 5th to the 7th, the "APEC Seminar on Protection and Restoration of Typical Marine Ecosystems to Improve Coastal Zone Resilience" was held in Xiamen, Fujian. More than 150 representatives from 70 units and 14 APEC economies and international organizations attended the meeting.

This seminar, guided by the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the APEC Ocean and Fisheries Working Group, and hosted by the Third Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources/APEC Marine Sustainable Development Center, focuses on typical marine ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs, promotes integrated protection and near-natural restoration based on ecological connectivity, and explores a sustainable development path in a virtuous cycle of "maintenance of ecosystem health—enhancement of coastal zone resilience—enhancement of community well-being."

Relevant representatives from the United Nations Environment Program, China's National Marine Environment Monitoring Center, the Third Institute of Marine Science and Technology of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the University of Adelaide in Australia, the Maldives Environmental Supervision Bureau, and the School of Environment and Ecology of Xiamen University made keynote reports respectively. Representatives from Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Peru, Russia and other economies shared scientific research results and practical experience on topics such as marine biodiversity protection, ecological connectivity, near-natural restoration, marine pollution prevention and control, and community participation.

During the meeting, the Third Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Brunei Poni Group signed a cooperation agreement to further deepen practical cooperation in the fields of marine science and technology and sustainable development.

Representatives also visited Xiamen’s Wuyuan Bay and Dongshan Bay. The “Xiamen Practice” of systematic governance “from the top of the mountain to the ocean” and China’s achievements in regional integrated protection and restoration and coastal zone resilience received active attention and unanimous praise from foreign representatives.

At the same time, the conference held a marine ecology-themed underwater photography exhibition, an exhibition of marine-themed paintings created by primary school students and college students, and displayed a series of marine literacy textbooks jointly compiled and officially published by an international project team, vividly presenting the beauty of marine ecology and the results of international scientific research cooperation, and promoting the dissemination of marine science knowledge and public participation.