Haikou project wins Paulson Prize for Sustainability

Haikou Wuyuanhe National Wetland Park. [Photo/Hainan Daily]

The Haikou Wetland Protection and Restoration Project was awarded the Nature Stewardship prize at the 2020 Paulson Prize for Sustainability awards ceremony on Nov 18.

The Haikou project has explored the new model of "wetland plus" in restoration and governance, helping the Hainan capital city establish two national wetland parks and five provincial wetland parks since the project was launched.

The wetland protection rate in Haikou has now increased from 16.01 percent to 55.53 percent, making Haikou one of the first international wetland cities in the world. With wetland resources effectively getting protected, the biodiversity and ecological environment have significantly improved.

Initiated by the Paulson Institute in 2013, the Paulson Prize for Sustainability has been in partnership with Tsinghua University since 2017.

The award is granted annually to projects that represent innovative, replicable, as well as economically and environmentally beneficial market solutions implemented in China that aim to address the world's most pressing environmental challenges.

This year, the prize is awarded to projects in two categories: the Green Innovation category and the newly launched Nature Stewardship category. 

The Urban Waste Battery Recycling Innovative Model launched by the city of Wuhan in Hubei province was announced the winner of the Green Innovation prize.