The Forum on Protecting the Yangtze, a side event of the 14^th Meeting of the COP14, was held in Wuhan on November 8, 2022. (Credit: IHB) 

The Forum on Protecting the Yangtze, a side event of the 14^th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14), was held at Xiangyang Hall of Wuhan East Lake International Conference Center, on November 8, 2022.    

The forum, which was organized by the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other organizations, was hosted by the Wuhan Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau and focused on the theme of “A living Yangtze River, a great river civilization for the future."   

Participating experts exchanged views on the Yangtze River's conservation progress, shared experiences and best practices, and provided a Chinese perspective on the protection of aquatic resources in the world’s major river basins.   

Among the speakers who addressed at the forum were MENG Xianlin, director of the COP14 Executive Committee Office, MA Yi, director of the Yangtze River Basin Fisheries Supervision and Administration Office under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and ZHU Gongwei, deputy secretary general of Wuhan Municipal Government.    

In a video message, Prof. CAO Wenxuan from IHB, a member of CAS and one of many scientists to first appeal for a 10-year ban on fishing in the Yangtze River, called for a nationwide participation in the protection of the Yangtze.   

In total, two keynote presentations and nine paralleled presentations were made at the forum. Two CAS members, Prof. GUI Jianfang from IHB, and Prof. WANG Yanxin, president of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), gave keynote speeches with the titles “Fisheries Transformation and the 10-Year Yangtze River Fishing Ban ", and "From Ecological Yangtze to the Living Yangtze - A Geological Perspective on Wetland Conservation and Restoration”.    

Others who weighed in to discuss the Yangtze River conservation included Profs. LIU Huanzhang, WU Zhenbin and WANG Ding from IHB, Prof. LI Chang'an, GU Yansheng and HUANG Xianyu from China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Mr. HE Wancheng, vice president of Sanjiangyuan Foundation, Prof. WANG Xuelei from the Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology (APM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Prof. CHEN Jin from Wuhan University, head of the expert group of "Living Yangtze Report 2020" published by the WWF  Beijing Programme Office.    

The forum set up roundtable on three topics - the effectiveness and vision of Yangtze River protection, the judicial protection of Yangtze River, and the social participation of Yangtze River protection. In the discussion of "the effectiveness and vision of Yangtze River protection", Mr. WANG Chengyou from the Yangtze River Basin Fisheries Supervision and Administration Office under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, MIAO Wei, deputy director of IHB, Prof. WANG Kexiong from IHB, Prof. FU Caiwu, president of the National Institute of Cultural Development at Wuhan University, Mr. ZHANG Xinqiao, director of WWF Wuhan Programme Office and Dr. HAO Yujiang, Associate Professor of IHB, discussed the effectiveness and vision of Yangtze River Protection from the perspectives of policy, ecology, culture and society.   

In a special meeting organized for the entrepreneurs to discuss their experiences with the Yangtze River protection, seven business representatives took part.   

The forum released the "National Participation in Yangtze River Protection" initiative led by Prof. CAO Wenxuan, which advocates national participation in Yangtze River protection from eight aspects.  

 
MENG Xianlin, director of the COP14 Executive Committee Office, addressed at the Forum on Protecting the Yangtze, a side event of the 14^th Meeting of the COP14, November 8, 2022. (Credit: IHB)  

MA Yi, director of the Yangtze River Basin Fisheries Supervision and Administration Office under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, addressed at the Forum on Protecting the Yangtze, a side event of the 14^th Meeting of the COP14, November 8, 2022. (Credit: IHB) 

ZHU Gongwei, deputy secretary general of Wuhan Municipal Government, addressed at the Forum on Protecting the Yangtze, a side event of the 14^th Meeting of the COP14, November 8, 2022. (Credit: IHB)   

In a video message, Prof. CAO Wenxuan from IHB, a member of CAS and one of many scientists to first appeal for a 10-year ban on fishing in the Yangtze River, called for a nationwide participation in the protection of the Yangtze. (Credit: IHB)    

Prof. GUI Jianfang, a CAS member, gave a keynote speech at the Forum on Protecting the Yangtze, a side event of the 14^th Meeting of the COP14, November 8, 2022. (Credit: IHB)    

Prof. WANG Yanxin, president of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), gave a keynote speech at the Forum on Protecting the Yangtze, a side event of the 14^th Meeting of the COP14, November 8, 2022. (Credit: IHB)   

Roundtable on the Yangtze River protection. (Credit: IHB)