Editor's note: As the UN biodiversity conference, COP17, calls for turning global commitments into action, ecosystem restoration is key to protecting biodiversity and strengthening ecological resilience. CGTN invites Zhang Zhenming, professor and vice dean of the School of Ecology and Nature Conservation under Beijing Forestry University, and associate professors Liu Jiakai and Ning Zhonghua from the same school to examine China's integrated approach to ecological restoration, its efforts to combine targeted intervention with natural recovery, and its contributions to global biodiversity conservation through international cooperation. The article reflects the authors' opinions, and not necessarily those of CGTN.

The UN biodiversity conference, COP17, marks the first major checkpoint to evaluate how countries have moved from biodiversity pledges to practice – exactly what the theme, "Taking Action for Nature," calls for.  

For China, the results are already in the ground. Its ecological restoration methods offer a model for this effort: bringing connected landscapes under coordinated management, strengthening nature's capacity to recover, and sharing knowledge through international cooperation.

Over several decades, China has expanded forest resources, advanced grassland restoration, strengthened wetland protection and fought desertification. These efforts have contributed to global greening and improved soil conservation and carbon sequestration. They have also shaped an approach that treats nature as a unified web, not isolated patches.

At its heart is the idea that mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands and deserts form an interconnected community of life. Restoration is planned at the river basin and landscape scale, taking account of water and soil resources and drawing on cooperation across regions and government departments.

Water flows, sediment and nutrients move, and animals migrate – all of which link habitats. Planning around these connections helps local projects support the functioning of a wider region, bringing land use decisions and the recovery of ecological processes into a common framework.

Working with nature

In the headwaters of the Oujiang River in east China's Zhejiang Province, restoring terraces alongside traditional farming connects mountain conservation with agricultural production. In the Yellow River Delta, controlling invasive plants and reopening tidal channels creates conditions for native species to recover. Both examples show how practical interventions can work with natural processes.

The Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program illustrates the value of continuity. Through long-term planning, it brings sand control, water management and land restoration into a sustained effort. Together, landscape planning, continued investment and locally tailored measures tie individual projects to regional conservation goals. 

'Minimal intervention' for better self-repair

As restoration advances, greater emphasis is being placed on ecosystem quality, ecological integrity and lasting resilience. Climate change, extreme weather and human activity continue to alter the conditions for recovery. Biodiversity conservation, ecosystem functions and the capacity for self-renewal must be addressed together, so restored ecosystems can adapt, withstand disturbance and continue providing services.

This calls for combining human intervention with natural regeneration. A research team at Beijing Forestry University has put forward the notion of "minimally invasive restoration and self-recovery." It explores how identifying key barriers to recovery, and intervening at the right places and times, can help ecosystems regain their capacity to organize and repair themselves. 

Putting these ideas into practice requires integrated observation, research into ecological mechanisms and ongoing evaluation. Restoration plans need to reflect the capacity of local water and soil resources. Cooperation across regions, sustained funding and long-term stewardship can connect scientific research with implementation and adaptive management, allowing measures to change as ecosystems respond.

Sharing the playbook

China also contributes to global conservation through practical experience, joint research and capacity building. The Shan-Shui Initiative, recognized among the UN's first World Restoration Flagships, offers lessons in coordinating large-scale restoration over the long term. 

Along China's Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf coast, World Heritage wetlands connect local habitat management with conservation across the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. At Tiaozini in Yancheng, east China's Jiangsu Province, the managed "720" high-tide roost gives waterbirds a place to rest when rising tides cover their feeding grounds. Protecting such sites helps sustain a migration route extending far beyond China's borders.

In Mauritania, with straw scarce, Chinese researchers and local partners had to look for sand stabilization materials elsewhere and combined their approach with water-saving irrigation and training for local maintenance and operation staff. Sharing technical knowledge alongside practical skills helps build the capacity to sustain the work. The value lies in developing solutions with local partners and equipping them to manage those solutions over time.

The International Mangrove Center in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, provides another platform for research exchanges and international training, supporting cooperation on coastal ecosystem conservation and restoration.

Such partnerships bring experience from different regions into shared efforts to protect biodiversity. They also create opportunities to compare methods and learn how different landscapes respond to restoration.

China exchanges ideas and practical approaches at meetings of the wetlands and biodiversity conventions, as well as the Global Ecological Governance (Nansen) Conference, Asia Philanthropy Forum and Zhongguancun Forum. The Flyway University Alliance extends these exchanges into collaborative research, monitoring and training. Chinese youth representatives have also brought stories of conservation on the ground to the global stage.

These efforts give practical meaning to COP17's call for action. By connecting integrated restoration, scientific inquiry and international cooperation, China can contribute to lasting biodiversity gains and stronger ecosystem functions, while helping develop approaches suited to different environments and needs.