Mayors from multiple countries discuss “Ecological Home: Coexistence of City and Nature” in Chengdu.

On May 15, as a key part of the “World Mayors Dialogue · Chengdu” series, a situational dialogue titled “Ecological Home · City and Vein Coexistence” was held under the Panda Tower in Chengdu. Mayors from multiple countries and other guests gathered to exchange ideas, sharing experiences in urban ecological governance and exploring a modern urban development path where humans and nature coexist harmoniously.

Under the morning Panda Tower, guests observed giant pandas eating bamboo, roaming freely, and playing up close. They made nutritious snacks for the pandas and learned about their unique physical features and living habits. What impressed the guests was that the giant panda’s threat level has been downgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable,” and as a flagship species, its umbrella effect has effectively driven the protection of many other species in the region.

Chengdu is one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots, with a unique 5,000-meter vertical drop creating extremely rich plant and animal resources. To protect this ecological home, Chengdu has established a citywide union of environmental volunteers, now with over 300,000 ecological environment volunteers and more than 150 branches. Through volunteer efforts and diverse activities, public awareness of biodiversity protection is gradually being awakened. For example, the Longquan Mountain raptor observation project saw over 400 volunteers continuously guard for more than 130 days last year, observing over 14,000 raptors during migration. The number of wintering birds in Chengdu has also surged from over 2,400 in 2017 to more than 90,000 last year.

At the dialogue, guests from various countries shared their urban governance wisdom.

The Deputy Mayor of Bonn, Germany, Ursula Sautter, shared a Bonn initiative called “Blueprint Plan,” encouraging citizen participation in urban management. For instance, each citizen takes charge of their own small area, planting flowers or plants that attract insects. She said, “We need everyone to participate and play their role in urban management.”

Laura Gallon, founder of the Italian National Modern Art Association, explained ecological protection from a humanistic and artistic perspective. She said that the character of a city lies in the diversity of its citizens and species. Creating artworks with local materials and public participation can make citizens truly proud of their hometown’s natural environment. “Protecting biodiversity is not just about protection itself, but also about protecting the urban environment and people’s living experience.”

Deputy Mayor of Asnières-sur-Seine, France, Férid, shared practices of technology empowering ecological governance. He mentioned using radar to count pedestrian and vehicle traffic, smart retrofitting of city streetlights, and using “digital twin” technology to simulate rainfall for optimizing rainwater infiltration and prevention. He also introduced using new materials to replace asphalt on school campuses and streets, allowing rapid water permeability during rain and reducing the heat island effect on sunny days. “Combining technology with protection makes our cities safer and better.”