Photo: Courtesy of organizers

The Global Panda Partners 2024, an event that promotes giant panda culture and global exchanges, kicked off on Tuesday in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, with the theme "Harmony between Humans and Nature." 

Experts in giant panda and wildlife conservation from around the world attended the meeting, sharing new explorations in green development and advocating for a future of ecological civilization. 

They agreed that as a symbol of friendship, sustainable development and global cooperation, pandas and panda culture can unite humanity to work together for a green future. 

"This conference reflects a shared vision for sustainability and biodiversity conservation, which is very important for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well," said Professor Shahbaz Khan, director and representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, in a video speech on Tuesday.

"The giant panda, an enduring symbol of balance and resilience, reminds us of the delicate relationship between humanity and nature."

Visitors at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding line up every day to see the celebrity pandas, while at the Moscow Zoo in Russia and at the Ueno Zoo in Japan, giant pandas are widely beloved by the ­public. 

Although these three animal care institutions are far apart, they are all engaged in giant panda conservation and public education, becoming important forces in raising ecological awareness and promoting panda culture.

Svetlana Akulova, the director of the Moscow Zoo, expressed her admiration after visiting the panda base in Chengdu, noting that China's efforts in protecting giant pandas have been extremely successful, especially in artificial breeding research. 

She noted that China has contributed wisdom and strength to the planet's green ecological sustainability. The Moscow Zoo has long had a partnership with the panda base in Chengdu, and whenever there is an issue, they consult with the panda base and quickly receive detailed responses.

As of Tuesday, the current number of captive giant pandas in the world had reached 757, and the population continues to improve, said Guan Zhi'ou, head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. 

China has established 67 giant panda nature reserves, and the wild population has grown to approximately 1,900. Additionally, China has collaborated with 26 institutions in 20 countries on giant panda conservation, breeding 43 litters and 71 cubs, said Guan. Giant pandas are warmly welcomed by people around the world and have played a unique role in promoting friendly relations between peoples and spreading the concept of ecological civilization.

In 2015, world leaders adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - a global blueprint to protect people and the planet by 2030.

At the same time, two baby panda cubs, Qi Qi and Dian Dian, were born at the Panda Base in Chengdu. They soon became the first-ever Animal Ambassadors for the SDGs under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Their names mean "the beginning of a journey," reflecting the journey toward achieving global goals. 

Today, the pandas remain "not only symbols of China's rich biodiversity, but with the natural world under threat around the globe, they also play a critical role in raising public awareness about the importance and urgency of efforts to promote sustainable development and ecological protection," said Beate Trankmann, the UNDP resident representative in China.

The significance of conservation work is particularly evident in Sichuan Province, home to most of the world's giant pandas. Through dedicated initiatives like habitat restoration and breeding programs, Sichuan has made important achievements that have seen giant panda populations rise, and their status downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

"Together, we can ensure a healthier planet for all and shape a future where humans and nature can live in harmony. And the natural world, symbolized by Qi Qi and Dian Dian, can not only survive, but thrive," she said.

At the Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan, France, pandas have welcomed millions of visitors as they "have helped us raise awareness among the French public about protection of rare species," said Rodolphe Delord, general director of the zoo, at the meeting on Tuesday. 

"What matters most to us is to raise public awareness about the conservation of these extraordinary animals, which contributes to the conservation of the species and genetic diversity," he said. 

At this conference, global panda partners engaged in thematic exchanges on topics such as panda breeding, disease research, and public education. There were two parallel events, the Dialogue on Giant Panda Cultural Exchange and Cooperation and the Conference on Cultural Tourism Exchange and Mutual Learning between China and Foreign Countries, at which participants shared panda conservation stories, discussed panda cultural promotion, and explored new cultural and tourism consumption scenarios.