STORY: China's Shenzhen promotes construction of int'l mangrove center
DATELINE: Aug. 31, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:02
LOCATION: SHENZHEN, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Shenzhen
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): SUN LILI, Co-founder of Mangrove Foundation, director of Futian Mangrove Ecological Park
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MATTEO CONVERTINO, Associate Professor, Institute of Environment and Ecology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School
4. various of Shenzhen

STORYLINE:

China's Shenzhen is promoting the construction of an international mangrove center, as part of the country's efforts in wetlands conservation for high-quality development.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): SUN LILI, Co-founder of Mangrove Foundation, director of Futian Mangrove Ecological Park
"In the future, relying on the mangrove museum, an international mangrove center will be established. We will base ourselves on this new starting point and tell the stories of Shenzhen and China to the whole world."

As a "blue carbon sink," mangroves are important for carbon sequestration.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MATTEO CONVERTINO, Associate Professor, Institute of Environment and Ecology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School
"Blue carbon refers to the carbon that is stored above ground and below ground in vegetated coastal wetlands, such as salt marshes, mangroves and sea grass. They are very particular, because they are at the edge between land and ocean. We are able to increase the sequestration of those CO2 emissions through the mangrove ecosystem. Shenzhen's blue carbon accounting system is useful for assigning economic value. Its unique accounting system will define where we need to prioritize first, how much the restoration will cost, and what are the returns on investment, benefits that we get out of those restorations. The primary return investment is how much carbon we can store. Other secondary benefits can be the fishery. So one thing that can be possible to do in the future is to restore also the fishery. It's also sustainable, nature-friendly, and it helps the restoration of the mangrove community."

China's mangrove forest coverage has increased from 22,000 hectares in 2001 to 29,200 hectares today.

To safeguard ecological security, China has implemented ecological protection red lines nationwide to identify crucial ecological zones and enforce strict protection.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Shenzhen, China.
(XHTV)