The first high-level forum on international mangrove protection held in China opened in Shenzhen on the 26th. The reporter learned from the forum that the area of mangroves in China has increased by over 7200 hectares compared to the beginning of this century, completely reversing the trend of area reduction and becoming one of the few countries in the world with a net increase in mangrove area. 160 representatives from 29 countries, the secretariat of the Ramsar Convention, FAO and other relevant international organizations attended the forum. During the forum, multiple activities were held, including ministerial round tables, plenary meetings, and exhibitions of mangrove scenery pictures from various countries. The Joint Statement adopted at the ministerial round table advocates for governments to incorporate mangrove protection and sustainable utilization into national plans, in order to fully leverage their ecological, economic, and social benefits, jointly explore sustainable financing mechanisms, and cooperate in areas such as knowledge sharing, scientific research, technical exchange and training, and pilot projects. During the forum, a special fund for international mangrove protection was also established, which is mainly used to fund and support international cooperation, scientific research, ecological restoration and other projects in mangrove Conservation International. According to the State Forestry and Grassland Administration, since the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention was held in November last year, the Chinese government has prepared to build the "International Mangrove Center", which focuses on the protection, restoration and rational use of mangroves and coastal blue carbon ecosystems, organizes and carries out technical exchanges, information sharing, monitoring and evaluation, and foreign aid training, especially to provide services and help to developing countries. The Chinese government has also formulated and improved a supporting system for wetland protection laws, strengthened supervision and inspection of wetland protection, and included wetland resource protection management in the assessment and evaluation system of the forest tenure system. (New News Agency)