APEC ministers vow to balance economic growth and ecology

APEC forestry ministers agreed on Tuesday to strengthen biodiversity protection, improve forest governance and boost investment in the forestry sector to advance sustainable development.

The two-day meeting in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, brought together senior officials and experts from 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economies and seven international organizations. It was the first APEC ministerial-level conference on ecological issues hosted by China in 15 years.

The meeting concluded with a joint statement urging APEC economies to integrate sustainable forest management into economic development plans with the aim of strengthening biodiversity protection and combating the illegal timber trade.

The statement encourages economies to expand forestry investment in line with their national circumstances, upgrade timber processing industries, strengthen cooperation on urban forestry and water management across the Asia-Pacific, and use technology to support ecosystem restoration.

It also calls for the development of emerging forest-related industries, products and services that are aligned with the principles of sustainable forest management.

Addressing the meeting, Vice-Premier He Lifeng said China has long prioritized ecological civilization and actively fulfilled its commitments to global environmental initiatives.

While maintaining robust economic growth and long-term social stability, China has forged a development path that balances economic progress with ecological conservation, he said.

Official figures show China contributes 25 percent of the world's newly added green areas and has achieved its 2030 national forest stock growth target ahead of schedule.

He noted that China remains committed to strengthening forestry cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region and promoting a fairer and more inclusive global ecological governance system.

According to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China has supported more than 50 forestry demonstration projects in over 20 APEC economies, providing more than $45 million in funding and restoring more than 1,300 hectares of degraded land to help revitalize regional ecosystems.

Delegates shared experiences and best practices in forestry conservation and regional cooperation during the meeting.

Jenny Cameron, head of the New Zealand delegation, said market-based incentives, strict harvesting controls and innovation in the bioeconomy have helped increase New Zealand's forest cover by more than 10 percent since 1990.

She said China and New Zealand share extensive cooperation in forestry and mangrove conservation, including collaboration on bird migration research and plant conservation. To promote sustainable forestry development in the Asia-Pacific region, she said, economies should work together to curb illegal timber trade and build resilient supply chains for forest products because of their significant environmental and social impacts.

Song Won Yeong, a representative of the Korea Forest Service, praised China's achievements in expanding forest coverage and restoring degraded woodland, particularly its landmark shelterbelt program in northern regions to curb desertification.

He said the Asia-Pacific region's vast territory and diverse climatic conditions support a wide variety of forest ecosystems. While this diversity presents challenges for regional forest management, it also creates opportunities for tailored approaches suited to local conditions.

Tse Chin-wan, secretary for environment and ecology of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, told China Daily that balancing rapid economic development with forest and ecosystem conservation remains a major challenge for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

He said Hong Kong will work closely with mainland cities to strengthen ecological conservation. Besides cooperating on wetland and mangrove protection, Hong Kong and Shenzhen will continue advancing the construction of a cross-boundary ecological corridor in the eastern border area to facilitate wildlife movement and enhance biodiversity.

Contact the writers at chenhong@chinadaily.com.cn