Some 4,000 delegates from over 150 countries and regions gathered in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, for the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves and discussed ways to protect biosphere reserves and achieve sustainable development.

Currently, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, driven by rapid breakthroughs in fields like artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology, offering favorable conditions for jointly addressing global ecological challenges, said Hou Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Technologies such as big data, remote sensing and AI can be integrated into a cohesive technological framework. This synthesis enables more effective support for protecting sustainable livelihoods and ecosystems, said Guo Huadong, a CAS academician and director of the International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage under the auspices of UNESCO.

"A biosphere reserve represents a model of sustainable development and is essentially a region that has already achieved sustainability. Studying these model zones can help advance efforts to build a community with a shared future for humanity," Guo said.

The 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves (WCBR), scheduled from Sept 22 to Sept 25, marks the first time the conference is being held in Asia. A Hangzhou action plan, to be endorsed during the congress, will guide implementation of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme for the next decade.

UNESCO launched the MAB Programme in 1971 to promote the sustainable management of natural resources for human-nature interactions. It operates through the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), which includes 759 biosphere reserves across 136 countries.

Every 10 years or so, UNESCO convenes the WCBR to evaluate progress, share experience, and set priorities and targets for the MAB Programme. The last WCBR was held in 2016 in Lima, Peru, where the Lima Action Plan (2016-2025) was adopted.

Roman Nazarov, a researcher at the Institute of Zoology in Uzbekistan, expressed his anticipation for the Hangzhou action plan, highlighting the vital role of international cooperation in protecting nature and developing concrete measures for the sustainable use of natural resources.

As an expert on lizards and reptiles, he noted that "animal ranges are not limited by human borders, making transboundary collaboration all the more essential."

Guo also noted that certain migratory birds, for instance, travel across multiple countries each year. These movements form an integral part of a global living system. However, inconsistent conservation policies among nations pose a threat to ecosystem stability, underscoring the urgent need for internationally coordinated efforts.

The participating experts agreed that in the face of challenges confronting humanity, international cooperation is crucial to biosphere conservation.

Macarena Bustamante from Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN) in Ecuador, said international cooperation should play its role at multiple levels, extending from the global agenda aligned with international conventions down to regional commitments, national strategies and local grassroots actions.

This conference provides an excellent platform for exchange, enabling us to share knowledge, learn from each other, and contribute ideas together for biosphere reserve conservation and sustainable development, said Farai Dondofema, a professor at the University of Venda in South Africa, noting that China has actively engaged in related efforts.

China formally joined the MAB Programme in 1973 and established a national committee for the program five years later. To date, 34 natural protected areas in China have been designated as UNESCO biosphere reserves, placing the country first in Asia in terms of total number of such reserves.