The 4th Mountain-Sea Vistas & Natural Shenzhen Life Festival & the 7th Futian Spoonbill Festival concluded yesterday at Shenzhen Bay Park in Nanshan District. To ensure a zero-emission event, the organizers plan to offset all carbon emissions generated during the festival.
The event, themed "International Mangrove Rendezvous," was organized in response to China's proposal to establish the International Mangrove Center in Shenzhen, a plan approved by the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention last year.
Nearly 100 institutions were invited to promote nature education to the public during the event, which was centered on the ideas of nature, green, technology, and life. Tech giants like Huawei, Tencent, and UBTECH also showcased their green technologies during the festival.
The event attracted environmental professionals from 15 countries and international participants from a seminar on mangrove conservation and restoration hosted by the International Mangrove Center.
An exhibition themed around the black-faced spoonbill attracted numerous children and parents. A 2024 census reported a record 6,988 of these birds worldwide, with Shenzhen Bay alone hosting 375, making it the world's third-largest habitat for the species globally, according to the Shenzhen Mangrove Wetlands Conservation Foundation.
Shenzhen, the first city in the country to champion nature education through government initiatives, set a national precedent. Its approach to nature education has become a model for other Chinese cities. Nature education in Shenzhen originates from activities such as birdwatching and visits to wetlands near Shenzhen Bay. In 2014, China's first nature school was established in OCT Wetland Park.
Shenzhen's Mountain-Sea Vistas is an urban planning initiative designed to connect the city's mountainous landscapes with its surrounding coastal areas through eco-friendly infrastructure, including a coastal belt and 20 ecological corridors.