On December 11th, the 9th Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) world conference was held at Kylin Villa in Shenzhen, China. The conference was organized by ESP and hosted by the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) and the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences(CSES).

This year’s theme is “Ecosystem Services for Eco-civilization: Restoring connections between people and landscapes through nature-based solutions”. Approximately 450 experts from nearly 46 different countries attended the conference.

Yurong Guo, SUSTech Council Chairperson, Zhihua Wang, secretary-general of CSES, Professor Rudolf de Groot, chairman of the International Partnership for Ecosystem Services, Professor Robert Costanza, co-chairman of the International Partnership for Ecosystem Services and International Ecosystem Service, and Feng Li, co-chair of China's national network of partners, attended the opening ceremony of the conference.

Junguo Liu, professor of School of Environmental Science and Engineering at SUSTech, served as the chairman of the conference. The International Ecosystem Services Conference, sponsored by the International Partnership for Ecosystems Services, has already held eight sessions in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United States, Costa Rica, and South Africa. The official global ecosystem services conference is attended by top ecologists from around the world.

This year’s conference is the first International Ecosystem Services Conference to be held in China and the 2nd one to be held in Asia.

Yurong Guo addresses the Ecosystem Services Conference

Yurong Guo addressed the conference at the opening ceremony. She pointed out that ecosystem services are an integral part of maintaining the balance between nature and humanity. She emphasized that the development of an ecological civilization should not only be a goal for China, but also a goal for the entire world to work together to achieve.

Furthermore, Yurong Guo presented the progress SUSTech has made in recent years. She invited people from all over the world to collaborate with SUSTech to help build a greener future for China and the world.

Zhihua Wang’s speech at the Ecosystem Services Conference

Zhihua Wang began his speech by congratulating everyone for convening at the conference. He pointed out that with China's recent rapid developments, it is important to promote the academic study of environmental protection through international cooperation. Furthermore, Zhihua Wang emphasized the importance of innovation, evolution of scientific and technological achievements, and the strengthening of international cooperation in order to create a green ecological future for the world.

Professor Rudolf de Groot and Professor Robert Costanza address the conference

Junguo Liu presiding over the opening ceremony

After the opening ceremony, two keynote speeches gave the presentations. Professor Robert Costanza delivered a lecture entitled: "Ecosystem Services for 20 Years: Achievements and Future Directions" and Professor Junguo Liu delivered a lecture entitled: "Ecological Rehabilitation and Ecological Civilization in China".

Photo of conference participants

During the four-day conference, scientists, policy makers, non-governmental organizations, entrepreneurs, and social activists in the global ecosystem services participated in this conference in order to hold discussions on ecosystem services, ecological restoration, and ecological civilization. In addition, this conference provides an opportunity to discuss the latest issues in ecosystem service sciences, share the latest results in research, and discuss the best practices in ecological restoration and environmental protection. The conference also offers the opportunity for participants to visit OTC Wetland Park, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden and other ecological protection areas of interest. The conference will be held until December 15th.