In addition to having a rich family background and being "approachable", cities carry out nature education
On May 25, the 4th China Nature Education Conference kicked off in Shanghai.
The 4th China Nature Education Conference was organized by the Chinese Forestry Society, Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Shanghai Greening and City Appearance Administration, Shanghai Ecological Environment Bureau, Shanghai Science and Technology Association, Shanghai Ecological Culture Association, Shanghai Museum of Natural History and Shanghai Co-sponsored by the University of Chinese Medicine.
The conference is held in the "15N" format, with a main venue at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and five branch venues at Shanghai Zoo, Shanghai Botanical Garden, Shanghai Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden and Shanghai General Garden Design and Research Institute. , setting up N parallel sub-forums across the country. The conference will also hold special activities such as the Nature Education Exhibition and the Shanghai Nature Education Innovation Competition.
Data released at the meeting showed that as of the end of 2023, Shanghai’s forest area reached 1.9278 million acres, with a forest coverage rate of 18.81%; there were 832 urban and rural parks of various types, a total length of greenways of 1,769 kilometers, and three-dimensional greening of 5.5 million square meters. Shanghai, located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, is also rich in wetland resources. According to statistics from the Third National Land Survey, Shanghai covers an area of approximately 72,700 hectares of wetlands, which play an important role in regulating climate, purifying water quality, and providing habitat and breeding grounds for organisms.
The rich natural resources have given birth to rich biological diversity. According to the latest "Shanghai Vascular Plant List", 1,199 species of wild plants have been recorded in Shanghai. As of the end of 2023, 622 species of terrestrial vertebrates have been recorded in Shanghai, including 44 species of mammals, 527 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles, and 15 species of amphibians. In addition, 2,961 species of insects have been recorded in Shanghai, and 332 species of fish have been recorded in the Yangtze River estuary waters.
Green spaces, forests, and wetlands not only constitute the elements of Shanghai's ecological space, but also provide abundant resources for Shanghai's nature education, forming a number of nature education activities and platforms with brand effects. In the four years since the Shanghai Nature Education School was established, it has carried out three applications and selections for nature education schools, and a total of 31 units have been approved. Shanghai's greening, city appearance, forestry, ecological environment and other departments have also launched the construction of biodiversity experience centers, and have established three biodiversity experience centers in the Shanghai Botanical Garden, Huajing Park, and Xinjing Town, Changning District.
"The greater meaning of the Shanghai Botanical Garden Nature Education Center is 'accessibility'." Chen Tingyuan, head of the Science Popularization Center of the Shanghai Botanical Garden, said that in the past, traditional nature education required "going to the classroom" and was not grounded enough. This is also what Shanghai Park has successively launched in recent years. The main reason why the quota for the night park nature science tour was sold out instantly. By locating the nature education center in a park in the central city, surrounding residents will be motivated to participate in biodiversity activities "on their doorstep" at any time.
Hu Yonghong, executive director of Chenshan Botanical Garden, shared the botanical garden’s exploration in the field of urban nature education. Three years since the launch of the "Campus Plant Classroom", 1,100 schools in the Yangtze River Delta region have participated, and the "Seed Teaching Aids Box" has been delivered to more than 430 schools. For another example, the garden distributed about 50,000 copies of the "30 things you can do in the botanical garden before the age of 12" leaflet. Among them, the five most popular things are rolling grass slopes, playing in the sand, crawling, playing with tree branches, and observing. fish. “Through these activities, we have a clearer understanding of the nature education direction of the botanical garden and can better serve the public.” Hu Yonghong said.
