I also attended other side events. For instance, I was invited to the side event jointly organized by the United Nations Environment Programme, American National Geographic Society, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with the theme of “Promote the Realization of Aichi Target No.11: Protect the Earth and IUCN List of World Conservation Sites”. During my keynote speech, I pointed out that community-based protected areas like CBCGDF’s China Conservation Area for something at somewhere (CCAfa) should be included in IUCN Green List. So far, we have established around 103 CCAfas in provinces, cities and autonomous regions across China such as Inner Mongolia, Tangshan, Tianjin, Shanghai, Ningbo, Jiangsu Tiaozini, Baiyangdian in Xiongan New Area and Xinjiang, with the scope of protected targets covering Dark Sky, Ancient Trees and Relics, Desert and Wetlands, the endangered Acer Pentaphyllum, Przewalski’s Gazelle, Baiji Dolphin, the Great Bustard and Pangolins etc. Therefore, I proposed to the guests at the forum: The CCAfa system has been an effective supplement to China’s official system of protected areas, tremendously contributing to the Ecological Corridor and Connectivity. We have established over 100 CCAfas till now, and every CCAfa has an excellent story behind it. Should these CCAfas also be included in the IUCN Green List? In fact, this is what CBCGDF has been constantly striving for: CBCGDF has been dedicated to biodiversity conservation via policies and concrete actions, thus achieving the sustainable development of the ecological environment and the society. CBCGDF’s community-based CCAfa system, built on this ideology and with Chinese characteristics, is intended to preserve biodiversity, the natural environment, resources, and cultural relics, mobilize and support local volunteers and civil communities to join the force, highlight public participation as the core idea, share public protection deeds and experiences, and promote mutual assistance among various protective forces and their overall improvement. It has been demonstrated that the CCAfa system has profound vitality and influence. It has pioneered a national system of protected areas which is initiated by a social organization, with far-reaching implications for biodiversity conservation. The community-based CCAfa ideology is also an exemplifying application of IUCN’s “Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures” (OECM), whose purpose is to promote Aichi Target 11.

CBCGDF has been positively responding to the 19th CPC National Congress Report on the demand of accelerating the transformation of the Eco civilization system, the construction of a beautiful China, the construction of an environmental governance system which is directed by the government, represented by enterprises, jointly participated by social organizations and the public, and the demand of actively engaging in global environmental governance. It has creatively explored out a way for social organizations to “Go Out”. In the future, CBCGDF will make every effort to voice Chinese good stories at various international platforms and stages, to make contributions from a Chinese NGO to the new targets of post-2020 biodiversity conservation.

(Photo credit: CBCGDF)