Shanghai's biodiversity highlighted at urban space art season
The SEA-Hi! Forum on the West Bund in Xuhui delves into topics such as green ecology and the urban environment, urban space, and ecological restoration.
Shanghai boasts impressive biodiversity and is a major bird migration route with abundant wetland conservation, a senior expert told a public forum at the ongoing Shanghai Urban Space Art Season over the weekend.
The city has over 300 species of freshwater fish, more than 400 species of birds, over 500 species of terrestrial vertebrates, and a rich diversity of over 2,000 plant species, Wang Xiangrong, a professor at Fudan University and adviser to the Shanghai government, told the SEA-Hi! Forum on the West Bund in Xuhui.
The city is also one of the eight major bird migration routes, is recognized as an ecologically sensitive area by WWF, and is one of 238 global hotspots for wetland biodiversity conservation.
"There is an urgent need for eco-friendly planning, green, low-carbon initiatives and ecological well-being to achieve harmony between people and nature," Wang told the forum.
He emphasized the importance of coexisting with nature in the advanced stage of human civilization.
The forum, initiated by the Shanghai Urban Planning and Natural Resources Bureau and organized by the Shanghai Urban Planning Design Research Institute, was held at the White Cat Main Exhibition Hall of the art season and open to the public for free.
An exhibit is set up in the White Cat Main Exhibition Hall.
The forum delved into topics such as green ecology and the urban environment, urban space, ecological restoration, exploration of super-large urban ecological planning, and biodiversity conservation.
Lin Hua, the director of the general planning department of the institute, introduced Shanghai's approach to building a resilient ecological city. He mentioned the challenges of urban safety and the importance of planning ecological networks to provide green spaces for city residents while also accommodating wildlife migration and habitation.
The Outer Ring Road Greenbelt, for instance, has connected 50 parks to enhance the quality of ecological development in the city's outlying areas, said Lin.
Visitors were guided to tour around the exhibition hall, which was renovated from the White Cat detergent factory warehouse. The site is hosting the main exhibition of the art season under the theme "METro-BIOSIS". The exhibition showcases Shanghai's ecological development concepts and technological methods, presenting a city where people and nature can coexist harmoniously.
The site is open to the public for free through November 20, along with the southern section of West Bund, a 5-kilometer stretch from Longyao Road to Dianpu River.
An exhibit is set up in the White Cat Main Exhibition Hall.
