The fourth Marine Ecological Civilization (Changdao Island) Forum was held in Yantai, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province, on Aug 28, inviting over 100 experts, scholars and professionals.

Revolving around topics such as marine ecological conservation and high-quality development, the construction of national parks, rural vitalization and ecotourism, the forum provided a platform for attendees to share and discuss their unique insights and is expected to contribute to the development of marine eco-civilization nationwide.

The forum, organized by the Marine Ecological Environment Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, has achieved fruitful results, and a number of projects were signed during the forum. The 2022 Changdao Island Consensus on Marine Ecological Civilization was also reached, offering guidelines for the country to promote the implementation of the Beautiful China initiative.

Changdao Island, which lies between the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, is known for its clean sandy beaches and limestone cliffs. Over the past years, the local government has progressively strenghtened the protection of the marine ecological environment on the island.

"Changdao Island has transformed into a very beautiful, cozy and modern island, which reflects the achievements of the island's efforts in cultivating a marine ecological civilization," according to Wang Degang, head of a tourism research center at Shandong University.

In July 2017, the Shandong Provincial People's Government launched a project to build a comprehensive experimental zone for marine ecological civilization on Changdao Island, with the ultimate goal of building the country's first marine national park on the island.

Over the past five years, Changdao Island has adhered to the notion that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets for fully promoting the development of ecological civilization. Efforts have been made to accelerate the transformation of the fishery industry, and build 14 provincial-level marine ranching pilot areas to advance the sustainable and healthy development of the industry.

Changdao Island, which lies between the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, is known for its clean sandy beaches and limestone cliffs. [Photo/WeChat account: ytwlgw]