UN Recognizes Chinas Blue Bay Restoration Initiative as Major Ecological Project
Chinas Blue Bay Restoration Initiative receives UN recognition for its commitment to marine ecology and community welfare.
Yerevan, October 30 (Daily Kiran) : In a significant development, the United Nations has recognized China’s Blue Bay Restoration Initiative as a major ecological project for 2026. This acknowledgment came during the “Restoration Day” event at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 17) held in Yerevan, Armenia.
The initiative is jointly led by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Finance. It marks the second national ecological conservation and restoration campaign to receive this prestigious status. Previously, the “China Mountain-River Project” was recognized globally in 2022, making China the first country to achieve this honor twice.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has classified the Blue Bay Restoration Initiative among the most promising and ambitious large-scale ecological restoration efforts worldwide. This international recognition underscores China’s commitment to enhancing marine ecosystems and improving the long-term welfare of local communities.
In recent years, both ministries have been actively promoting marine ecological restoration in key ecological protection zones along China’s coastline. They are also working together to integrate land and marine resources, connecting rivers and oceans.
According to data, during the 13th and 14th Five-Year Plans (2016-2025), China’s central government supported 194 major marine ecological restoration projects in coastal provinces, allocating a total of 36.63 billion yuan in subsidies. These projects have successfully restored over 150,000 hectares of coastal wetlands along more than 2,000 kilometers of coastline and have significantly contributed to controlling the invasive Spartina alterniflora vegetation.
As a result, there has been a marked improvement in the quality and stability of vital marine ecosystems, alongside an increase in biodiversity. The initiative has also expanded high-quality marine areas for the public, strengthened coastal disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities, and reinforced marine ecological protection measures.
