The Namjagbarwa forum on the building of a national ecological civilization pilot zone in Tibet kicks off in Nyingchi, Sept 10, 2023. [Photo by Zhao Zhenyu/For chinadaily.com.cn]

Officials and experts from different sectors on Sunday shared their views on the importance of national ecological civilization in the high altitude of the Tibet autonomous region.

A two-day forum on the building of a national ecological civilization in Tibet kicked off Sunday in Nyingchi, drawing nearly 120 participants from various fields, including officials from the central and regional governments, academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Academy of Engineering and scholars from various Chinese colleges and universities.

Themed "Revealing the mechanism of plateau environmental change through scientific research and jointly building a national ecological civilization in the highland", the forum unveiled the significant role of China's second scientific research survey on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The Namjagbarwa forum on the building of a national ecological civilization pilot zone in Tibet kicked off on Sunday in Nyingchi. [Photo by Zhao Zhenyu/For chinadaily.com.cn]

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Yan Jinhai, head of the regional government, noted that the nicknames "roof of the world" and "water tower of Asia" are appropriately tied to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a key sensitive area for global climate change and a guardian of important rivers in Asia.

"Tibet believes a high priority must be given to ecological protection, with natural protected areas accounting for 36 percent of the total land area of the region," Yan said. "It has listed half its land area under the scope of an ecological protection red line."

Currently, the total carbon sink of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau ecosystem accounts for 8 to 16 percent of China's total ecosystem carbon sink, and it has achieved overall carbon neutrality.

Yan said that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the region will establish the world's highest-altitude and largest national park — Changthang National Park.

The event included sub-forums themed "Building a beautiful Tibet together and sharing a better life" and "Asia water tower: Protecting the source of rivers".

The Namjagbarwa forum on the building of a national ecological civilization pilot zone in Tibet kicked off on Sunday in Nyingchi. [Photo by Zhao Zhenyu/For chinadaily.com.cn]