China is trying to become a champion of biodiversity
It has a lot of ground to make up
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/images/print-edition/20220219_CNP001_0.jpg)
CHINA’S IMPRIMATUR on the “Kunming declaration” goes beyond its name. Signed by over 100 countries in October, the pledge set the tone for COP15, the largest UN biodiversity gathering in a decade. (First scheduled for 2020, it was delayed several times because of covid-19.) The conference, taking place in two parts, is being hosted by China for the first time. Its second meeting was scheduled for April but also looks likely to be postponed. The host city is the capital of Yunnan, a south-western province that is a showcase of the biodiversity that China needs to preserve, from steamy jungle to mountain glaciers.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Conservation conversation”
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