On November 25, the 2022 Maritime Silk Road International Conference on the Cooperation and Integration of Industry, Education, Research and Application (Fujian) Geography Forum was successfully held at Fujian Normal University (FNU). The event was hosted by the National Center for Schooling Development Programme, jointly organized by Fujian Provincial Department of Education and FNU, and co-organized by the School of Geographical Sciences and the School of Carbon Neutrality Future Technology and so on. Mr. Wang Yang, Deputy Director-general of Fujian Provincial Department of Education and Professor Yang Yusheng, Vice President of FNU, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Nearly 300 experts and scholars from universities and research institutes in 12 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Russia and New Zealand, attended the conference online, prominently among whom were Professor Liu Jiaqi and Professor Yu Guirui, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Jianguo Liu from Michigan State University, member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Professor Steven McNulty, Director of the USDA Southeast Climate Hubs, and Professor Xiao Wenfa, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Forestry.
In his speech, Professor Yang Yusheng stated that FNU has always been actively serving the Belt and Road Initiative and continuously promoting research interaction and academic exchanges with countries and regions along the route. He believed that the forum, on which the latest research results on the themes of addressing climate change, carbon sequestration and sink enhancement, green development were to be shared, was bound to help elevate Fujian in terms of forest carbon sink development and application, promote the win-win cooperation in the global integration of industry, education, research and application, thus playing a positive role in promoting global ecological conservation with green Belt and Road.
Mr. Wang Yang delivered a speech on behalf of Fujian Provincial Department of Education. He pointed out that, in Fujian, efforts have been stepped up to accelerate the construction of the core area of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the national pilot zone for ecological conservation. Therefore, such issues as how to further tap into the existing advantages to strengthen cooperation with countries along the Maritime Silk Road, in this area and how to jointly build a shared community for development that features policy coordination, wisdom sharing and people-to-people ties have become major strategic issues of common concern to all sectors. He believed that the conference would have a positive impact on and make an important contribution to realizing diversified cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results, cultivating professional talents with a global vision, and helping reach the goals of BRI and the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals through integrated innovation of industry, education, research and application.
The forum consisted invited lectures and five session meetings focused on Climate Change and Carbon Sequestration, Global Change and Natural Disasters, Carbon Sink Monitoring and Measurement, Carbon Sink Industry Development, and Green Development Policies.
(Translated by Chen Wenjia/ Reviewed by Liang Li’e)