Photo taken on Oct 31, 2021 shows a view of the Dianchi International Convention and Exhibition Center in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan province. [Photo/IC]
China's extraordinary efforts to improve its biodiversity have been noticed in Hungary, and there is great potential for both countries to work together on the cause of sustainability, the Hungarian ambassador to China said.
Mate Pesti said that China, as one of the world's mega-biodiverse countries, has over the years used targeted legislation and action plans to make strides in biodiversity protection.
"The carefully orchestrated measures resulted in the creation of thousands of protected areas, botanical gardens and arboreta, zoos, long- and medium-term banks, marine reserves, which now conserve tens of thousands of species, and through its rigorous reforestation efforts, forest cover now accounts for more than 20 percent of its total land area," the ambassador said.
Pesti also cited China's role in hosting the first part of the UN Biodiversity Conference, also known as COP 15, which wrapped up in Kunming last month.
The ambassador said the world can now look forward to the Planet Budapest 2021 Sustainability Expo and Summit, the largest international event of its kind to be held in Central Europe. It opens on Nov 29 in the Hungarian capital.
He said that Hungary played a role in establishing the world's first five-sided biosphere, the Mura-Drava-Danube Transboundary Biosphere Reserve. The opening of the UNESCO-backed project marks a milestone in efforts to conserve Central Europe's largest river system and its wildlife.
"By the shared vision and rigorous conservation efforts of our countries, there is plenty of room for international cooperation in the fields of biodiversity know-how and peer-to-peer exchanges," he said.
He said Hungary's climate and ecological protection plan puts a major emphasis on sustainability. It includes the electrification of transport, a ban on single-use plastic products, large renewable energy plants, the elimination of illegal waste dumping, and the issuance of government-backed green bonds along with increased reforestation.
