In brief
At COP17 in Yerevan, the UN announced that China’s Blue Bay Restoration Initiative would become a World Restoration Flagship, marking the country’s second such honor. The program, led by China’s ministries of natural resources and finance, plans to restore more than 150,000 hectares of wetlands and 2,000 km of coastline by 2030, offering lasting benefits for coastal communities. The initiative was selected from over 200 applications and represents a high‑profile example of ambitious ecosystem restoration.
On 29 October 2026, at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan, Armenia, the United Nations announced that China’s Blue Bay Restoration Initiative would be designated a World Restoration Flagship. The announcement was reported by Xinhua, noting that the initiative, jointly led by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Ministry of Finance, now stands as a model of large‑scale ecosystem restoration on the global stage.
Named for its focus on the coastal ecosystems in China’s “Blue Bay” region, the initiative seeks to bring together government, science, and local stakeholders to counter decades of coastal degradation. The ministries responsible for natural resources and finance are coordinating funding, technical expertise, and policy support, ensuring that the project can operate across provincial boundaries and across sectors.
Ambitious Scale and Timeline
Under the UN-recognized framework, the Blue Bay Restoration Initiative is set to restore more than 150,000 hectares of wetlands and over 2,000 kilometers of coastline by the year 2030. The scale of this endeavour is unprecedented for a single national programme and aligns directly with the International Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’s objectives to accelerate large‑scale ecosystem rehabilitation.
These targets include the re‑establishment of mangrove forests, the protection of tidal flats, and the rehabilitation of marshlands that have been drained or polluted for industrial and agricultural use. By restoring these habitats, the project aims to enhance biodiversity, improve carbon sequestration, and strengthen coastal resilience against sea‑level rise and extreme weather events.
“The initiative aims to restore more than 150,000 hectares of coastal wetlands and over 2,000 km of coastline by 2030, bringing lasting benefits to local communities,” added Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme.
Following the UN announcement, local officials highlighted the direct socioeconomic impacts of the restoration. Workers will be employed in dredging, planting, and maintenance activities, while community groups will be involved in monitoring and stewardship. These engagements foster a sense of ownership among residents, ensuring that the restored ecosystems provide food security, fishing opportunities, and enhanced flood protection for the population that lives along the coast.
The designation of the initiative was not only a recognition of its design but also a testament to the quality of its proposal. The Blue Bay Restoration Initiative was selected from more than 200 submitted applications and over 80 government‑sub‑missions, making it one of the world’s most promising, ambitious, and inspiring examples for large‑scale ecosystem restoration, according to the UN representation.
By receiving the World Restoration Flagship title for a second time, China now holds a unique distinction: it is the first country to be honoured twice by the United Nations under its Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. This milestone underscores China’s continued commitment to environmental stewardship and its role in leading global restoration efforts.
Looking ahead, the initiative’s leadership has outlined a monitoring and evaluation framework that will track ecological, social, and economic outcomes across the project’s 2030 horizon. These metrics will help refine restoration techniques and inform future policy decisions. By demonstrating that large‑scale, government‑led restoration can deliver tangible benefits, the Blue Bay Restoration Initiative is poised to inspire similar efforts worldwide as the planet confronts escalating climate change challenges.
