Guiyang becomes first city in Guizhou to join Cities With Nature Initiative

Guiyang is devoted to environmental protection and green development. [Photo/ddcpc website]

The 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) was held in Cali, Colombia, on Oct 27, Beijing time.

During the 8th Summit for Subnational Governments and Cities, an official parallel event to CBD COP16, the second batch of "Biodiversity Charming Cities Best Practices" and a new group of cities joined the Cities With Nature Initiative was announced, with Guiyang in Southwest China's Guizhou province being chosen.

Cities With Nature is an interactive online platform established under a collaborative initiative framework by ICLEI, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund, the United Nations Environment Programme, and other organizations.

It is the world's largest platform for sharing knowledge and cases of urban and local biodiversity conservation. To be selected for this platform, cities must demonstrate outstanding success in biodiversity conservation and have typical representativeness.

As the first city in Guizhou to receive this honor, Guiyang's joining in the initiative will enhance its international influence and contribute to the city's goal of becoming a world-class ecological civilization construction city and tourist destination.

Guizhou ranks fourth nationwide in terms of biodiversity, while Guiyang has established five national ecological civilization construction demonstration zones and five "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" practice innovation bases.

The city has set up 26 natural reserves (including seven national-level ones), which play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance, protecting biodiversity, and promoting sustainable development in Guiyang.

In 2021, Guiyang took the lead nationwide in launching a comprehensive biodiversity survey, discovering a total of 7,691 biological species, including four new animal species and three new microbial species. Additionally, 221 cave-dwelling species were discovered.

These achievements not only enrich Guiyang's biodiversity, but also provide valuable resources for biodiversity research in China and around the world.