Integrated Land-Sea Ecosystem Conservation in Fuding

China is one of the 18 mega-biodiversity countries in the world, but still faces a process of rapid erosion of its ecosystems. Biodiversity protection and ecosystem management have become national public policy priorities in recent years. Nevertheless, the maritime domain remains behind and the efficiency of existing marine protected areas is still rather limited.

Located in the Fujian Province, the mountainous territory of Fuding (1,572 km²) covers a vast amphitheater of watersheds whose rivers flow into a bay, while more than 150 islands and islets are spread in different archipelagos off the coast. The territory is the cradle of the white tea production in China and is home to a rich animal and plant biodiversity, including several species under protection status, as well as the northernmost natural mangrove in the world.

Multiple anthropogenic pressures have led to heavy pollution of the waters of the bay as well as the destruction of several natural habitats, including the mangroves, which are in critical condition today.

• The project has three components:
  A first component dedicated to the restoration and protection of the terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems of the territory of Fuding in the long term. In this framework, several ecological engineering activities will be carried out, as well as the extension and the enhancement of the network of protected areas dedicated to these ecosystems, alongside the strengthening of the tools and resources dedicated to their monitoring and effective management.
• A second component will support the development of tea growing and fish farming practices in the territory towards environmental excellence that is economically enhanced by the establishment of a labeling and promotion system. The populations of the municipality and tourists will be sensitized of the value of the terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems of the territory, including the mangrove, through the construction of an eco-museum designed to also be a showcase for ambitious solutions in terms of energy efficiency and of bioclimatic conception.
• Finally, the project will support a significant number of capacity building activities for stakeholders, in particular for the services in charge of the protected areas management. It will also support the definition and implementation of a French inspired "Bay Contract" approach, the dissemination of innovative practices of low environmental impact aquaculture as well as the reinforcement of the marine protected areas in Fuding.

The result targeted by the project is the restoration of a healthy hydrosystem and functional coastal ecosystems following a logic of land-sea solidarity, making it possible to restore all the ecosystem services provided, including the sustainable supply of food resources (fishing, aquaculture, and white tea), the extension of natural habitat areas for wildlife and the adaptation of populations to climate change.

Partnership and knowledge production activities are also envisaged with French, European and international institutional actors involved in these dynamics, in addition to international technical assistance. These activities will be financed with the European Union China Biodiversity Facility (CBF)1, a European grant dedicated to strengthening the Sino-European public policy dialogue on biodiversity, implemented and managed by AFD.

The project will thus contribute to public policy dialogue between China, France and Europe on the topics of coastal and marine biodiversity, protected areas and ecological engineering, through promotion and capitalization at the national level of the project’s activities implemented on the ground. It will also be intended to feed the considerations and elaboration process relating to several priority national public policies, in particular those dedicated to the issues of limitation of the pollution due to aquaculture as well as to the objectives of protection and extension of the mangrove ecosystems nationwide.