The city of Quzhou in East China's Zhejiang province recently unveiled the country's first local standard for biodiversity-friendly villages.

The "Guidelines for Biodiversity-Friendly Village Construction" was released as a local standard by the Quzhou municipal ecological environment bureau. That was done in collaboration with the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

"This standard is the first of its kind in the country, providing a valuable reference for the construction of biodiversity-friendly villages in other regions," explained Tang Bo, a senior engineer at the Zhejiang Province Institute of Ecological Environmental Science Design and Research.

Quzhou, located at the source of the Qiantang River, is regarded as being one of the most biodiverse areas in Zhejiang. For years, the city has been committed to strengthening its biodiversity protection and exploring mechanisms for the balanced coexistence of humanity and nature.

In 2023, Gaotiankeng village located in Changhong township, Kaihua county was recognized as a provincial pilot for the construction of biodiversity-friendly villages due to its pristine natural environment and rich biodiversity.

The standard aims to better guide the construction and evaluation of biodiversity-friendly villages like Gaotiankeng – further exploring the sustainable utilization of rural biodiversity and ecological value transformation in Quzhou.

The local standard outlines the overall requirements, construction requirements, and evaluation criteria for building and assessing biodiversity-friendly villages. For instance, it specifies that anti-bird collision stickers should be installed on large glass surfaces in areas with a high risk of bird collisions, among other detailed provisions.