Summer school reinforces need for healthy ecosystems

International experts are convening in China this week to explore how healthy ecosystems can be harnessed for sustainable development amid intensifying global risks. At the opening ceremony of the second Nature-based Solutions Summer School in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Tuesday, participants also underscored the importance of enhanced global sharing and cooperation, and recognized China's notable progress in the field.

Led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the 10-day event has brought together more than 40 experts from different fields for theoretical learning, case studies, group discussions and field visits across Guangzhou and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

"We are at a critical inflection point in human history. The planet faces an unprecedented convergence of crises — climate change, biodiversity loss and widespread land degradation. These are not isolated problems but deeply interconnected and mutually reinforcing," said Stewart Maginnis, deputy director-general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.