By Stephen Asante, GNA Special Correspondent, Beijing, China
Beijing, July 05, GNA – Building a shared future for all life on earth is one of the cardinal aspirations of the People’s Republic of China.
That vision is rooted in the ancient Chinese notion of unity of nature and mankind.
Over the years, the country has attached great importance to biodiversity, adhering to the philosophy of ecological civilisation.
The people have worked assiduously to expedite the mainstreaming of biodiversity across all departments and sectors, and embarked on sustained efforts towards building a beautiful China where the pursuit of modernisation intertwines with the nurturing of nature.
With particular reference to Beijing, the capital, the city authorities are leaving no stone unturned to promote effective restoration and protection of ecosystems.
Standing as one of the world’s megacities with a substantial reserve of biodiversity, Beijing is not only living to its billing by the United Nations (UN) as “A City of Biodiversity Charm”, as it also serves as a critical hub along the East Asia-Australasian Flyway for migratory birds.
Beijing is harnessing its intellectual resources to drive innovation in order to build a Garden City through cutting-edge science and technology.
In recent times, a robust technological support system for urban greening has been established, with the formation of the Capital Landscape and Forestry Technology Innovation Alliance in partnership with 25 universities and research institutes, building 103 expert work stations.
It has also launched the “Hundred Parks, Hundred Experts” technical service plaform.
Additionally, the Government has developed 28 national-level innovation platforms under the National Foretsry and Grassland Administration, focusing on areas such as nature education, sensitisation and conservation.
Over the past decade, the authorities have strengthened research and innovation, promoting 85 new technologies and formulating 196 local standards for landscaping, which has significantly advanced the high-quality development of the All-region Forest City and the Garden City agenda.
“Protecting biodiversity helps protect the earth, our common homeland, and contributes to humanity’s sustainable development,” Chinese President Xi Jinping noted when addressing the leaders’ summit of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15).
The Chinese President announced at the summit that a new set of measures, including China’s earmarking of 1.5 billion yuan (about 222 million U.S. dollars) for a new fund on biodiversity protection, were being pursued.
As part of efforts to expand collaboration with other parties, the country has approved the implementation of over 30 multilateral agreements or protocols on ecological protection.
Philip Clayton, President of the Institute for Postmodern Development of China, a think tank, says “China’s contributions to ecological civilisation has empowered the international community to pursue environmental reforms and more robust ecological governance”.
It is worth noting that the Asian economic giant has established a system with national parks as its mainstay, supported by nature reserves and supplemented by nature parks.
The system has ensured the protection of over 90 per cent of terrestrial ecosystem types and 71 per cent of wild flora and fauna species by placing them on a national protection list, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration notes.
In 2022, the country made another milestone move to strengthen biodiversity protection, establishing the China National Botanical Garden in Beijing.
The Chinese government’s guiding principles are that: Civilisations thrive on their natural surroundings, man and nature should coexist in harmony, lucid water and lush mountains are invaluable assets, no welfare is more universally beneficial than a sound natural environment, and that, mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands are part of a community of life.
This is in sync with the 2050 Vision: “Living in harmony with nature”, as well as meeting the environmental dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Beijing has a rich ecological landscape with 7,121 species across 151 natural and semi-natural ecosystems, according to the city’s first-ever biodiversity white paper released in May 2025.
Liu Xianshu, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, says these figures, based on field surveys conducted between 2020 and 2024, “demonstrate that Beijing is one of the world’s most biodiverse megacities and highlight the city’s significant achievements in biodiversity conservation.”
The white paper was jointly released by the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau.
Mr Liu explains that the field surveys have documented 151 types of natural and semi-natural ecosystems, including forests, shrublands, grasslands, marshes, and aquatic vegetation.
The 7,121 recorded species include diverse groups such as algae, higher plants, vertebrates, insects, macro fungi, and benthic macro invertebrates.
On wildlife species, officials of the Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau tell the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that, currently, Beijing hosts 612 terrestrial wildlife species, including 519 wild bird species.
This represents over five per cent of global bird diversity and one-third of China’s total, ranking it second among G20 capitals for avian richness.
The city boasts a rich collection of ancient trees and precious plants totaling some 41,000 with over 6,100 Class One ancient trees, 34,000 strong Class Two ancient trees, and around 1,300 precious trees spanning 33 families, 56 genera, and 74 species.
According to the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau, of the existent tree species, some 62 of the tree genetics date back to over a thousand years, including the oldest cypress tree in the Miyun District estimated to be over 2,000 years.
These trees have grown together with the ancient city, inheriting a profound history and carrying with them a splendid culture and a deep nostalgia.
In 2024, with a forest and an urban green coverage rate of 44.95 per cent and 49.8 per cent, respectively, and 16.9 square meters of park green space per capita, Beijing earned the title of “National Forest City”.
These accomplishments showcase a model of harmonious coexistence between urban life and nature, enhancing Beijing’s vision of a thriving Garden City.
The city is advancing nature-based education and enriching public life with diverse cultural initiatives, such as the Voices of the Gardens exhibition series on landscaping heritage, seasonal campaigns like Gardens through the Seasons, as well as festivals, including the Forest Culture Festival, Western Hills Forest Music Festival, and Forest Birdsong Concerts.
Some environmental activists in Beijing, in an interview with the GNA on the sidelines of the 2025 International Symposium on Rose Research and Cultivation (ISRRC 2025), were in unison in their admiration of the progress made over the years to ensure the city stood as one of the world’s megacities with the largest reserve of biodiversity.
“It is imperative that the principles aligning closely with the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Conservation of Biological Diversity, and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources are upheld.” Lee Chang, an environmentalist and participant, noted.
With Beijing’s continuous expansion of urban green spaces, the beautiful vision of residents of seeing green when opening the window of their homes and entering the park when going out has become a reality.
Acting upon its overall plan for urban development, the city has established a Parks and Recreation System, consisting of Urban Park Ring, Suburban Park Ring, and Capital Forest-Wetland Ring, providing an urban space where citizens feel intensely happy, satisfied and fulfilled.
With the establishment of parks currently exceeding some one thousand, Beijing has lived up to meeting its vision of “A City of a Thousand Parks”.
A visit by the GNA to the Ming City Wall Ruins Park, the Longtan West Lake Park, the Lianhua River Urban Leisure Park, the Urban Green Heart Forest Park, the Yanshan Park, the Niantan Park, among others, was a sight to behold, confirming the city’s growing imposing ecological status.
Boasting numerous varieties of plum blossoms throughout some of the parks are peach blossoms, apricots, cherry blossoms, and malus spectabilis blooming in succession, with streams of water meandering through these ecological havens, one is dumbfounded by the picturesque scene.
At the Niantan Park in Daxing District, for instance, visitors can enjoy the thousand-meter cherry blossom avenue on both sides of the north gate, and the Moutan peonies at the Xingwang Park, as well as the orychophragmus violaceus at the Qingyuan Park.
The Yanshan Park in Fangshan District offers a spring flower viewing area of 10,000 square meters, featuring various species including tulips, hydrangeas, plumeria, and flowering peach.
This development embodies the Chinese cultural and environmental-based ethics anchored on the tenets of a harmonious coexistence between man and nature, humanity and society;a virtuous cycle, and an all-round development and sustainable prosperity.
“China is willing to join hands with the international community to raise the awareness of respecting, following and protecting nature, stay committed to green development and a low-carbon, circular and sustainable mode of production and life, build a shared future for all life on earth, and chart the course for global ecological civilisation,” Xie Wd, a Deputy Director at the Chinese Cultural Centre for Diplomatic Missions, told the GNA.
GNA
Edited by Samuel Osei Frempong