SHENZHEN, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The International Mangrove Center (IMC) has launched full institutional operation with its first council meeting held in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

This photo taken on June 24, 2026 shows a logo of the International Mangrove Center in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. (Photo: Xinhua)

This milestone advances global intergovernmental mangrove conservation coordination and embodies China's tangible efforts and commitment to global ecological governance.

The meeting, held on Sunday, brought together representatives from IMC member states, signatory countries and observer institutions. Participants reviewed and adopted a set of institutional documents, including the center's strategic plan and rules of procedure, and appointed the IMC's first secretary-general.

As the world's first intergovernmental organization exclusively dedicated to mangrove protection, the IMC has settled its secretariat in Shenzhen.

The launch of the IMC stems from a China-proposed global initiative put forward at the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) in November 2022. In November 2024, delegates from the first batch of 18 prospective member states signed an agreement on the IMC establishment in Shenzhen. The agreement officially took effect last month.

To date, the IMC has eight member states and 13 signatory countries, covering major mangrove distribution zones in Asia and Africa, as well as North and Central America.

The IMC has yielded substantial achievements during its four-year preparation period, laying solid groundwork for official institutional operations.

It has compiled reports on global mangrove resources and major conservation challenges and hosted six international mangrove restoration training workshops, attracting 137 representatives from 30 countries. These events have facilitated in-depth technical exchanges and experience sharing, building an inclusive and pragmatic platform for global mangrove governance cooperation.

During the council meeting, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat spoke highly of China's pivotal role in advancing the IMC's founding and development, pledging full support for cooperation between the center and its member states.

As a vital coastal wetland ecosystem, mangroves play an irreplaceable role in safeguarding coastal ecological security, preserving biodiversity, facilitating carbon sequestration and emission reduction, and bolstering the sustainable development of coastal regions.

China has consistently prioritized mangrove protection and restoration. The country's mangrove coverage has reached 31,700 hectares, a 44-percent increase from the early 2000s. It is one of the world's few countries with sustained net growth in mangrove areas, while also achieving notable improvements in ecosystem integrity, biodiversity and blue carbon sequestration capacity.

Delegates at the meeting noted that the IMC, a distinctive regional initiative under the Ramsar Convention, will serve as a vital platform for policy dialogue, technical exchange and experience sharing to advance worldwide mangrove rehabilitation and sustainable exploitation.

Yoeung Visal, an official focused on freshwater wetlands conservation from Cambodia's Ministry of Environment, said Cambodia looks forward to deepening cooperation with China through the IMC and other regional cooperation mechanisms in scientific research, technology and innovation, mangrove conservation and restoration, blue carbon development and integrated coastal ecosystem management.

Cambodia highly values China's efforts to strengthen regional and global cooperation, including the establishment of the IMC, of which Cambodia is one of the three co-sponsoring countries.

"China's experience provides important lessons for the world, particularly developing countries, in long-term planning, green development, innovation, access to finance, and integrating environmental protection into national development strategies," Cambodian Minister of Environment Eang Sophalleth said ahead of the meeting.