Yangtze conservation in spotlight ahead of COP15

The Yangtze River flows through the Chibi Bridge in Hubei province. [Photo by Xiao Yijiu/Xinhua]

An ecological conservation project for the Yangtze River was listed among the 110 global model practices by the 15th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which will be held in Kunming, Yunnan province, on Oct 11.

The "100+ Biodiversity Positive Practices and Actions Around the World" list was unveiled on Sep 27 during the COP15 NGO Forum, one of the eight parallel forms of the conference.

Initiated in 2018, the Yixin Huatai One Yangtze River ecological conservation project is among the 22 special recommended projects, together with the China green peafowl habitat conservation actions by Friends of Nature, and the exploration and practice of reform of collective land easement by the Qianjiangyuan National Park Administration.

The Yangtze River project was launched by Huatai Securities to raise public awareness and garner donations for the conservation of the 2,000-square-kilometer community-based protected area in the river basin.

Huatai Securities partnered the Shan Shui Conservation Center, Peking University and other environmental institutions for this project.

The actions under the comprehensive project include installing over 400 infrared cameras in the region to support scientific research, providing micro-funds to 13 local teams, including Fudan University, and identifying representative species.

A citizen scientist program was also opened to attract public participation in environmental research and surveys, wildlife observations, and conservation lectures. More than 10,000 people have taken part in this program over the past three years.

A forum of the Yixin Huatai One Yangtze River ecological conservation project. [File photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, a fundraising campaign "Back into the Wild" was organized to raise donations for more than 500 animals in the Hongshan Forest Zoo in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

In December, the project hosted the "One Yangtze River" Sustainable Development Forum in Beijing to encourage communication between the capital market and environmental conservation groups.

During the forum, a biodiversity impact assessment platform, which comprises more than 300,000 entries of species distribution, 1,100 entries on different natural conversations and 180,000 environmental impact assessment data of various projects, was established.

"The One Yangtze River project is a prime example for exploring ways to bring biodiversity into the mainstream and to avoid future 'black swan' events," said Liu Ning, chief negotiator of the Chinese delegation to COP15, on the COP 15 NGO Forum.

"The project sets precedence for greater cooperation and communication between environmental agencies and the financial market and lays the foundation for bridging ESG concepts with biodiversity conservation," Liu added.

Zhou Yi, Huatai Securities CEO, said, "We see the One Yangtze River Project as a bridge for discussion and deepening partnerships between the regulatory authorities, capital markets, NGOs and the public."

He noted that the company will look to strategically invest more resources to contribute to the realization of China's 2060 Carbon Neutrality pledge.