During his first visit to Xiamen, Adrian Gahan, policy director for Pristine Seas at National Geographic, was amazed by the ecological restoration at Xiamen's Xiatanwei Mangrove Park. In recent years, many of Xiamen's ecological governance practices have gained widespread attention far beyond the city — evolving from "Xiamen's experience" to "China's solution" and, finally, to "a global reference".

Xiamen Low-Value Recyclables Sorting Center — the first of its kind in China — began operations in December 2022 to handle plastics, foams, glass, and other low-value recyclables. Here, waste moves along conveyor belts, where AI cameras automatically identify and sort it into reusable raw materials. 

The center processes 18,000 metric tons annually, saving 21,000 tons of petroleum and cutting CO2 emissions by 34,800 tons — equivalent to removing 17,400 family cars from the road for a year.

This model has been recommended for nationwide promotion by national ministries and even showcased at the UN climate change conference, earning global recognition.

Xiatanwei Mangrove Park is a vivid example of ecological restoration. Over 20 years ago, it was a degraded mudflat due to reclamation and aquaculture.

After nearly two decades of restoration, the park now boasts 85 hectares of thriving mangroves. Species diversity has increased by 2.4-fold, and the annual carbon sink capacity has reached 4.30 tons of CO2 per hectare. Birds, fish, and crabs have returned, forming an integrated "forest-tidal flat-sea" ecosystem.

This green barrier now serves not only as a field study site for the "Xiamen Practice" and an open-air classroom, but also as a BRICS carbon-neutral forest. Its experience has been shared internationally.