Side event details

Mangroves are important for biodiversity, fishery resources, safety, and livelihood of coastal communities. It plays an irreplaceable role in blue carbon sequestration and disaster risk reduction. Globally, mangroves are still in the trend of declining, which threatens the progress of achieving the SDGs. There is an urgent need in international cooperation on mangrove conservation and restoration due to the lack of resources and synchronized actions. The Ramsar Convention has the mission to urge the Contracting Parties to conserve and wisely use all the wetlands including mangroves within their jurisdiction, as popularized in Global Wetland Outlook Special Edition 2021. Resolution VIII.32 and Resolution XIII.14 aim at strengthening the awareness and actions on mangrove ecosystems. UN Ocean Conference 2022 has mobilized actions which integrate with UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). This side event will review the progress and challenges on global mangrove conservation, promote consensus among stakeholders in protecting mangrove and blue carbon, and mobilize science-based innovation and synchronized actions in the next decade, under the vision 2050 on biodiversity. The side event aims to raise the attention of the Contracting Parties and multiple stakeholders to strive for halting the loss, conversion and degradation of mangrove wetlands and increasing blue carbon storage. It also calls for all parties to support development of international mangrove protection and collaboration mechanism, as well as facilitate the establishment of International Mangrove Center.

The side event will be jointly organized by the MCF, NFGA of P.R.C., UNEP, IUCN, WWF, WI, SEE Conservation, and Vanke Foundation. Representatives from UN agencies, IOPs/NGOs and Private Sectors will be invited. There will be opening remarks by the NFGA of P.R.C., Ramsar Convention Secretariat and MCF, while UN agency, IOP/NGO and government representatives will deliver speeches around the topic.

Convener: Dr. Guangchun Lei (Board Chair of MCF, STRP Chair of the Convention on Wetlands, Professor at Beijing Forestry University)

Preliminary Agenda: 

1. Opening remarks 

   1. Chunliang Li，Deputy Director, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, P.R.C.

   2. Jerker Tamelander，Director for Science and Policy, Ramsar Convention Secretariat.

   3. Shi Wang，Founding Board Chair, Mangrove Foundation; Chairman, Vanke Foundation; President, SEE Conservation (2nd Session)
2. Important role of mangrove conservation in achieving sustainable development goals. Stuart Crane (UNEP)
3. The global status, threats and opportunities for mangroves. Kathryn Bimson (IUCN)
4. Conservation and restoration of blue carbon for community livelihood and ecosystem services. Marielouise Slettenhaar-Ket (WWF)
5. Priority actions in global mangrove conservation. Jane Madgwick(WI)
6. Social participation in mangrove conservation. Lili Sun (MCF, SEE Conservation)
7. China’s support to international collaboration on mangrove conservation and management.Yuanhui Hu (National Forestry and Grassland Administration, P.R.C.)
8. Q&A and Summary