The International Mangrove Center (IMC) successfully launched its 2025 First Workshop on Mangrove Conservation and Restoration in Shenzhen on June 19, 2025. The event brought together 24 government officials from China, Cambodia, and Madagascar. Representatives from the Wetlands Management Department and International Cooperation Department of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and the National Academy of Forestry and Grassland Administration, China, as well as the Shenzhen Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau, attended the opening ceremony.
The workshop is designed to strengthen collaboration and foster communication between China, Cambodia, and Madagascar on the mangrove conservation, restoration, sustainable and wise use. A distinguished lineup of experts, both domestic and international, was invited to deliver lectures on a wide range of topics, including how mangrove conservation and restoration support multilateral environmental agreements, China's mangrove wetland conservation and restoration action plan, the monitoring and conservation of migratory birds in mangrove wetlands, blue carbon and climate change and so on. Participants also visited Ramsar sites and mangrove nature reserves in Shenzhen and Guangxi province, China. These visits provided them with firsthand insight into local conservation and restoration efforts.
In the welcoming address, Prof. Bao Daming, Director General of the IMC Interim Secretariat, expressed his appreciation for the participants' involvement and extended his gratitude to the governments of China, Cambodia, and Madagascar for their ongoing support to the IMC's establishment and development. As one of the workshop’s keynote experts, Prof. Bao provided an overview of IMC’s introduction and its current work, emphasized the critical role of mangroves in ecological conservation and climate change adaptation. He encouraged participants to enhance their professional skills exchange, for contributing to the long-term sustainability of global mangrove ecosystems.
Mr. Zhu Weihua, Deputy Director of the Shenzhen Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau, highlighted that Shenzhen, as a national economic and innovation hub, has long been committed to advancing ecological civilization. As the host city of the IMC, Shenzhen will continue to support the IMC's efforts in promoting global mangrove conservation, restoration, and knowledge sharing.
Mr. Mon Samut, Deputy Director of the Department from General Directorate of Natural Protected Area (GDNPA) of Ministry of Environment, Cambodia, expressed gratitude to both the Chinese government and the IMC Interim Secretariat for their support of this workshop. He outlined Cambodia’s policies and practical efforts in mangrove conservation and reaffirmed the critical role of IMC in promoting cooperation and knowledge exchange. He emphasized the immense potential for future collaboration between IMC Member States and expressed his hope that the IMC would help turn shared commitments into concrete actions.
The IMC remains dedicated to advancing global cooperation and joint actions on mangrove conservation, restoration, and sustainable management, and to supporting its member states in fulfilling their obligations under the Ramsar Convention and other environmental agreements. This workshop will reinforce the IMC’s role as a key platform for knowledge sharing and technical exchange among its member states.