The 2021 International Conference on Belt and Road Ecological Environment Protection and Sustainable Development (EEPSD) was held on June 26 at Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi province in Northwest China.  

The conference held on June 26 attracts more than 100 experts, scholars and students from home and abroad. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The conference was sponsored by the Institute of Earth Environment, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Northwest A & F University, and the Xi'an Geological Survey Center of the China Geological Survey.  

Shao Ming'an, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, presides over the opening ceremony of the conference.  [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Li Xingwang, secretary of the Party committee of Northwest A & F University, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Liu Yu, director of the Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivers a a keynote report at the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wang Yanxin, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), makes a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the conference. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Sixteen experts, including Liu Jiaqi, Shao Ming'an, Wang Yanxin, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Hou Li'an, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivered thematic reports on environmental protection and sustainable development.  

The experts also made nearly 60 academic exchanges on four themes: basin hydrology and water resources, groundwater resources and the environment, quaternary and global change and environmental protection and sustainable development.  

With the continuous effects on the environment stemming from global climate change and human activity, a series of ecological and environmental problems have emerged, such as global temperature rises, glacier melting, droughts, floods, water shortages, water pollution, grassland degradation, forest reduction, glacier retreats, lake shrinkage and biological species reduction.

In order to better support and promote the Belt and Road Initiative, the conference took Belt and Road ecological environment protection and sustainable development as the focus for the experts and scholars from home and abroad in international technological advances in ecological and environmental security, and as the theme of their exploration of the strategic path and countermeasures for regional sustainable development, so as to provide scientific guidance and decision support for the "ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin".

Lu Hongyan contributed to this story