Part 1 of the 2020 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) took place in Kunming, Yunnan Province from October 11 to 15. Shandong participated in the UN's first global conference themed "eco-civilization", showcasing the results of Shandong, as well as its seven key areas: Yellow River Delta, Mount Tai, Kunyu Mountain, Nansi Lake, Shell Island, Mount Meng and Rongcheng known as the home of whooper swans, in biodiversity protection to the world.

It is an opportunity for presentation, exchange and statement. How to achieve win-win in protection and development? As a major coastal economic province, Shandong has been committed to providing solutions for coordinating biodiversity protection with social and economic development.

Favorable ecological environment is vital to economic and social sustainability. Without favorable ecological environment, human development will be impossible. As one of the earliest signatories to the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity, China has made great efforts to advance the protection and restoration of biodiversity. China has taken eco-civilization development as important content of promoting balanced economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress since the 18th CPC National Congress, thus the notion of eco-civilization has increasingly taken root in the hearts of the people. Setting a red line for ecological protection, perfecting policies and regulations, improving the quality of ecological environment, establishing a national park system, imposing a 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River, constantly intensifying regulation and law enforcement, performing obligations under international conventions…the public awareness of biodiversity protection and the degree of participation have kept growing, the trend of biodiversity decline has largely been controlled, and the ecosystem has significantly improved in stability.

Shandong has attached great importance to biodiversity protection by taking a series of effective policies and measures. A number of typical areas that have achieved significant results in biodiversity protection have emerged, including Yellow River Delta, Kunyu Mountain, Long Island and Nansi Lake. Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve has become the world's largest breeding ground for oriental storks and the world's second-largest breeding ground for larus saundersi; the number of animal and plant species recorded by Kunyu Mountain National Nature Serve has increased from 2,234 to 2,429, the number of badger species only existing in Jiaodong has increased steadily and wild sika deer have been rediscovered in field monitoring.

Favorable ecological environment is natural wealth and economic wealth as well, which concerns the potential and sustainability of economic and social development. At the conference, China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the fifth list of national eco-civilization development demonstration zones and the list of innovation bases for practicing the concept that clear waters and green mountains are invaluable assets. 8 areas in Shandong were named national eco-civilization development demonstration zones, and 2 areas in Shandong were named innovation bases for practicing the concept that clear waters and green mountains are invaluable assets, both ranking second in China. As a county with both titles, Mengyin shared at a forum its development path of promoting rural rejuvenation through ecological rejuvenation to make the people enjoy the dividend from the conversion of clear waters and green mountains into invaluable assets. Shandong has accumulated rich experience in the practice of changing "beautiful resources" into the "beautiful economy" and green GDP is enhancing the comprehensive competitiveness of Shandong's economy in an all-round way.

These encouraging changes have been attributable to Shandong's years of perseverance in ecology priority and green development, and injected great vitality for Shandong's economic and social development. However, we should face up to the fact that Shandong's overall situation of biodiversity protection and restoration remains unoptimistic in the international context that global species are being extinguished in an accelerated manner, biodiversity is losing constantly and the ecosystem is degrading.

There is no contradiction between ecological protection and economic development. To find a balance between the two, we need to promote the green transformation of the economy and society with concept of green development, and make waters clearer and mountains greener. While strengthening the regulation of ecological environment protection, relevant departments should motivate enterprises and social organizations to carry out activities such as biodiversity protection publicity and education, counseling, legal aid and supervision over illegal acts in the forms of project funding and the government's purchase of services from social organizations, to build strong synergy in ecological environment protection and biodiversity protection.