British News Agency

The center consists of eight member states and 13 signatory countries, covering the world's major mangrove regions across Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

China proposed establishing the International Mangrove Center in Shenzhen during the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, held in November 2022.

Representatives of the first group of 18 prospective member states signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the International Mangrove Center in Shenzhen in November 2024. The agreement officially entered into force in June 2026.

According to data from China's Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the area of mangrove forests in China has increased by 44 percent compared with the beginning of the 21st century, reaching 31,700 hectares. China is among the few countries in the world where mangrove forests continue to expand.

UNESCO observes July 26 each year as the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.

Mangrove forests consist of trees and shrubs that grow in saline or brackish waters along tropical and subtropical coastlines. They protect coastlines from erosion and storms while providing habitats for numerous marine species and birds.