Chongming Wetland enables China's first carbon-neutral biodiversity conference

The main event of the 2026 International Day for Biological Diversity in China, held in Chongming on May 22, achieved full carbon neutrality by offsetting all emissions through wetland carbon sinks. It marked the first time a biodiversity event in China had used coastal saltmarsh carbon credits to achieve carbon neutrality.

The conference, themed "Protect All Life, Benefit All", generated an estimated 83 tons of carbon emissions from energy use, transportation, and catering. These emissions were fully offset by carbon credits donated by the Shanghai Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve from its 101-hectare saltmarsh restoration project, which generated 1,565 tons of certified carbon reductions.

The Chongming Dongtan Wetland, a crucial blue carbon sink, plays a key role in carbon sequestration and biodiversity protection. [Photo/Shanghai Chongming Media Center]

"Blue carbon" refers to carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems such as saltmarshes, mangroves, and seagrass beds. These systems have significantly higher carbon storage density than forests and can lock carbon for millennia.

Saltmarsh vegetation in the Dongtan Wetland forms a key component of Shanghai's natural carbon sequestration system. [Photo/Shanghai Chongming Media Center]

The Dongtan Wetland, Shanghai's largest estuarine nature reserve, has completed over 66 square kilometers of wetland restoration. It is now home to more than 360 bird species and provides a vital stopover for nearly 1 million migratory birds each year.

In late 2025, the restoration project became the first wetland carbon project in Shanghai Carbon Inclusion Program. Revenue from carbon credit sales is reinvested into wetland management and research, creating a self-sustaining conservation model.

Migratory birds rest at the Chongming Dongtan Wetland, a critical stopover on the East Asia-Australasia flyway. [Photo/Shanghai Chongming Media Center]

The conference's carbon-neutral practice demonstrates how ecological restoration can deliver measurable climate benefits while supporting biodiversity conservation.