China's Blue Bay Initiative Recognized as UN World Restoration Flagship for Marine Ecological Achievements

China's Blue Bay Restoration Initiative was named a United Nations World Restoration Flagship by the United Nations Environment Programme on Thursday in Yerevan, Armenia, during the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), highlighting the international acknowledgment of China's achievements in marine ecological protection and restoration.

The initiative, led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Finance, is the second Chinese program to receive this honor, following the Shan-Shui Initiative which was among the first global flagships in 2022. This achievement makes China the first country to have two World Restoration Flagships.

The World Restoration Flagship, jointly established by UNEP and the Food and Agriculture Organization, is a global action under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration framework, acknowledging large-scale restoration projects that are exemplary, representative, and have a significant global impact.

At the awarding ceremony, Raimund Jehle, deputy regional representative for Europe and Central Asia of the FAO, pointed out that healthy coastal ecosystems support fisheries, protect communities, and strengthen resilience to climate change.

"Their restoration requires us to work across the boundaries between land and sea and across sectors and institutions," he added.

"China's Blue Bay Initiative demonstrates the value of this integrated approach, bringing together ecological restoration, coordinated governance, and public investment," Jehle said.

Building on the experience from the Yundang Lake restoration in Xiamen, Fujian province, regions across China have coordinated land and sea management and promoted the continuous advancement of marine ecological restoration.

During the 13th (2016-20) and 14th Five-Year Plan periods (2021-25), the central government allocated 36.63 billion yuan ($5.50 billion) to coastal provinces for the implementation of 194 major marine ecological restoration projects. This led to the restoration of more than 150,000 hectares of coastal wetlands, the management of Spartina alterniflora, an invasive cordgrass species, and the restoration of more than 2,000 kilometers of coastline.

In addition, initiatives from Colombia, Ethiopia, Italy and the United States were also honored for their contributions this year.