Interview: China's ecological stewardship key to restoring planetary health -- UN environment official

NAIROBI, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The ambitious initiatives China has rolled out to promote the congruity between economic growth and the environment will boost efforts to restore the planet's health amid human and climate induced threats, a senior UN Environment Program (UNEP) official told Xinhua during an interview on the eve of Earth Day.

Levis Kavagi, an Africa coordinator at the UNEP, said China is at a vantage position to make a positive contribution toward tackling the ecological challenges currently facing humanity.

He hailed China's support for multilateral initiatives aimed at tackling these challenges that have worsened poverty, disease and inequality.

As host of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, slated for October in the city of Kunming, China is expected to reaffirm its commitment to global efforts to conserve natural habitats, he said.

Kavagi believes China-led actions are critical to advancing a low-carbon development that strengthens the resilience of ecosystems and communities in the face of rising temperatures.

Partnerships are crucial to finding durable solutions to the triple planetary crises of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss that have worsened food insecurity, water stress and instability, he said.

"All three are interconnected so there is more need for concerted effort than isolated piecemeal responses," he added.

Speaking of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Kavagi said it is complicating waste management challenges, while increasing community vulnerability to impacts of climate change and reduced income from tourism.

Conservation of iconic wildlife species might suffer amid declining government revenue due to movement restrictions, he said, adding that the pandemic has also slowed down bio-prospecting, worsening the attendant loss of financial benefits to local communities.

He urged all nations to unite to defeat the pandemic and restore the planet's health.