The Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Office of Wetlands Conservation and Management under the State Forestry Administration and the Paulson Institute signed a tri-partite partnership agreement in Beijing on February 26, 2014, and announced the launching of Coastal Wetland Conservation Blueprint Project in China.    

The letters of agreement were signed by ZHOU Chenghu, an academician with CAS and Deputy Director from IGSNRR; MA Guangren, Director General of the Office of Wetlands Conservation and Management under the State Forestry Administration; and Ms. Cynthia Zeltwanger, Executive Director of the Paulson Institute, on behalf of their organizations.    

The Coastal Wetland Conservation Blueprint Project will be implemented by a research team composed of both domestic and international experts on coastal wetlands conservation and management, who will be supported by China National Panel on Wetlands Science and Technology. The project fund of US& 600,000 will be granted by the Lao Niu Foundation.

The project aims at assessing the status, trend and threats of coastal wetlands in China, conduct case studies and best practices on wetland conservation in USA and China, and define the strategy, policy framework and priority actions on coastal wetlands protection and management in China. The ultimate goal is to identify feasible policy options for the decision-makers, provide effective management tools for competent government agencies, and promote the coastal wetlands protection and management at policy and practice levels in the country.   

The signing ceremony was also attended by Mr. Henry M. Paulson, Chairman of the Paulson Institute; Mr. NIU Gengshen, Honorary Chairman of the Lao NIU Foundation; Prof. YU Xiubo and Ms. ZHANG Ming from IGSNRR; and Prof. LEI Guangchun, Dean of the School of Nature Conservation Management at Beijing Forestry University, among others. In addition, the Paulson Institute also established a partnership with the Lao Niu Foundation, which will offer grant to the Paulson Institute to support the implementation of the coastal wetland conservation project.   

Signing ceremony for the tri-partite partnership agreement 

Signing ceremony for the partnership agreement between Paulson Institute and Lao Niu Foundation