SHENZHEN, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Decades ago, Shenzhen made an unusual planning choice to protect the mangroves in the city's Futian District, shifting a planned coastal road 260 meters north.

Egrets are seen at Dongchong Mangrove Wetland Park in Shenzhen's Dapeng New Area, south China's Guangdong Province, on April 12, 2026. (Photo: CGTN)

The move was meant to protect the original mangrove forest, according to Bao Daming, Secretary-General of the International Mangrove Center (IMC) Secretariat located in Shenzhen. For Bao, the decision reflects the southern Chinese megacity's approach to balancing urban development with ecological conservation.

That approach was on display during the 2026 APEC Ministerial Meeting on Forestry held in Shenzhen recently. Representatives from 21 economies discussed sustainable forest management, mangrove and blue carbon conservation, urban biodiversity, smart ecological governance and legal forest-products trade. They signed a joint statement setting out directions for deeper regional cooperation.

On Monday, Shenzhen marked the 100-day countdown to the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, bringing renewed attention to the host city's ecological practices. As Shenzhen moves toward the meeting, its ecological practices are also being shared and discussed among Asia-Pacific economies.

The city is opening sites involving mangrove protection, river restoration and ecological corridors to visiting forestry officials and technical teams from APEC economies. It is also working through the IMC on joint research into cross-border mangrove restoration and the development of blue carbon standards.

Shenzhen has built a citywide ecological network connecting mountain forests, rivers and coastal wetlands. More than 20 ecological corridors, including the Kunpeng Trail, have helped reconnect fragmented urban habitats, where leopard cats and Eurasian otters have returned. More than 6,870 species have been recorded across the city, including 208 species of nationally protected plants and animals.

In Shenzhen's central urban area, the Futian mangrove nature reserve demonstrates the balance being pursued between the needs of the city and nature. It is a key stopover for migratory birds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. There, an AI-enabled smart protection system helps safeguard tens of thousands of migratory birds.

Eduardo Pedrosa, executive director of the APEC Secretariat, said Shenzhen's approach to combining urban development with mangrove conservation could serve as a reference for cities across the Asia-Pacific.

"It's interesting to see how Shenzhen has really developed over the last 20 years," he said. "What we've seen is a lot of towers, skyscrapers, urban development, but it's also a lot of greenery ... of course you have the protected mangrove area as well."

Use of technology is another part of Shenzhen's approach.

Camila Isabel Zepeda Lizama, head of the International Affairs Unit at Mexico's Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, said she was particularly interested in China's use of information technology, robotics and artificial intelligence to identify suitable sites and support ecological restoration.

"We're very interested in cooperating with China, particularly on mangrove restoration," she said.

Lizama also saw room for cooperation in forest monitoring and blue carbon sequestration, noting the importance of mangroves in climate adaptation and carbon sequestration.

Beyond wetlands, Shenzhen is also pursuing green industrial transformation, developing its digital-energy sector and advancing citywide park development. More than 90 percent of the 310 rivers under monitoring have good or excellent water quality, while technological innovation is being used to support ecological restoration.

A white paper released in Chinese and English on Aug. 3 brought many of these practices together. Titled "A City of Symbiosis: The Shenzhen Practice of Harmonious Coexistence between Humanity and Nature," it outlines four pathways for urban ecological governance and presents 19 representative cases.

Bao said the center plans to share Shenzhen's experience in balancing urban development and ecological protection with its members worldwide.

The road shifted away from Futian's mangroves was one choice made by one city. Yet the discussions in Shenzhen show that balancing urban development with ecological protection, and exploring how technology can support that effort, is a concern shared across the Asia-Pacific region.