The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a large loan for biodiversity conservation and greater climate resilience in coastal cities of Fujian province in eastern China. The approved loan totals $142.25 million.

China's state news agency Xinhua reported the news on Thursday (27 November), citing the ADB.

The Fujian Coastal Cities Climate-Resilient Development and Biodiversity Conservation Project will strengthen the capacity of 4.4 million residents of Fuzhou city and Yunxiao county to cope with climate risks. One of its main aims is to reduce urban flood risk through nature-based solutions.

The ADB said the project will conserve and restore more than 220 hectares of coastal wetlands and mangrove forest. These areas are known as important stopover sites for migratory waterbirds on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway.

The bank noted that Fujian's coast faces growing risks from extreme weather such as typhoons, heavy rain, sea-level rise and storm surges, making the threat of urban flooding and waterlogging more severe.

The project will improve urban drainage, develop parks and lakes to hold more rainwater, rehabilitate embankments in an environmentally friendly way and set up an integrated emergency response centre in Yunxiao. These measures will help manage flood risk and build climate resilience.

The project will also improve habitats of endangered species and work to remove invasive plants. In addition, conventional farming and irrigation on more than 630 hectares will be converted to environmentally friendly, wildlife-friendly methods.

The ADB said an innovative eco-compensation mechanism will be introduced to give local farmers financial incentives to adopt sustainable practices. As livelihoods improve, some of the money will be redistributed among farmers.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.