From July 22 to 26, 2024, the Summer Academic Workshop on Ecological Conservation and Spatial Planning was successfully hosted at Huazhong Agricultural University. Co-organised by the Peking University–Lincoln Institute Center for Urban Development and Land Policy and the School of Public Administration, Huazhong Agricultural University, the workshop brought together more than forty young scholars from domestic and overseas universities, research institutions, international organisations and relevant enterprises.
Gao Chi, Supervisor General of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture and Party Secretary of Huazhong Agricultural University, delivered an opening address centering on building a Beautiful China and achieving modernisation featuring harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. Afterwards, Liu Zhi, Director of the Peking University–Lincoln Institute Center for Urban Development and Land Policy, and Ke Xinli, Dean of the School of Public Administration, Huazhong Agricultural University, delivered separate speeches to congratulate the workshop on its opening.
The five-day workshop consisted of seven thematic lectures and one field research tour.
Lecture 1: High-Quality Territorial Spatial Development, Conservation and Value Realisation Mechanisms of Ecological Products (Huang Zhengxue)
On the morning of July 22, Research Fellow Huang Zhengxue from the Institute of Territorial Development and Regional Economics, National Development and Reform Commission, delivered a lecture titled
High-Quality Territorial Spatial Development, Conservation and Value Realisation Mechanisms of Ecological Products. Huang elaborated on the current status and trends of China’s territorial spatial development and conservation; against existing challenges in this field, he illustrated ideas and proposals for constructing high-quality territorial spatial layouts. Taking ecological conservation, a core policy priority for territorial spatial governance, he explained the significance and connotation of realising the value of ecological products. He also presented numerous domestic and international practical cases of ecological product value realisation, and shared his reflections and suggestions on establishing relevant institutional mechanisms in China.
Lecture 2: Theories and Methodologies for Optimised Territorial Spatial Utilization (Deng Xiangzheng)
On the afternoon of July 22, Research Fellow Deng Xiangzheng from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, shared his research findings on
Theories and Methodologies for Optimised Territorial Spatial Utilization. Combining hot-button issues, he provided an accessible overview of relevant policies, research status and cutting-edge progress. He then unpacked the theoretical foundations of optimised territorial spatial utilisation from multiple perspectives, introducing classic and state-of-the-art research methodologies supported by extensive literature and case studies. Deng showcased latest research outputs generated via advanced analytical tools, including spatiotemporal evolution patterns of China’s land resource efficiency, scenario simulations of territorial development potential, and quantitative mapping of optimal territorial spatial layouts.
Lecture 3: Spatial Coordination and Optimisation of Economy and Ecology in Urbanised Areas (Chen Wen)
On the morning of July 23, Professor Chen Wen, Research Fellow at the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivered a presentation titled
Spatial Coordination and Optimisation of Economy and Ecology in Urbanised Areas. Taking the Yangtze River Delta as a case study, Chen analysed economic-ecological trade-offs in China’s regional development, and explained how a Pareto equilibrium-based balanced spatial development model can reconcile economic and ecological goals in spatial planning. She also illustrated national and provincial main functional zoning schemes, the transmission of national spatial development strategies down to municipal and county levels, alongside core bottlenecks and solutions for spatial development regulation. Drawing on the Chenzhuang project led by her research team, she detailed pathways to translate ecological advantages of protected zones into economic gains.
Lecture 4: Post-2020 Biodiversity Conservation and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs): International Progress and China’s Practice (Jin Tong)
On the afternoon of July 23, Dr. Jin Tong, Environmental Specialist at the World Bank China Office, delivered a lecture titled
Post-2020 Biodiversity Conservation and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs): International Progress and China’s Practice. Jin outlined the global context of biodiversity conservation, alongside the origin, definition and significance of OECMs. She elaborated on OECM typologies, identification and verification criteria, and summarised global progress and international experience with such measures. She further introduced relevant policies, research and practical cases of biodiversity conservation and OECM implementation in China, and put forward actionable recommendations to address challenges in domestic OECM work.
Field Research Tour: Conservation and Utilization Planning Practice for Jinyinhu Area, Wuhan (He Lei)
On the morning of July 24, Senior Engineer He Lei, Director of the Spatial Planning Division, Wuhan Municipal Center for Natural Resource Conservation and Utilization, presented a report titled
Conservation and Utilization Planning Practice for Jinyinhu Area, Wuhan. Opening with an overview of Wuhan’s ecological resource characteristics and the evolution of its ecological planning system, He took Jinyinhu, the largest urban lake in western Wuhan, as a typical case to dissect the formulation philosophy, procedures, methodologies and implementation outcomes of the Jinyinhu Conservation and Utilization Plan. She noted that the plan was awarded the ISOCARP Award for Planning Excellence at the 59th Congress of the International Society of City and Regional Planners, offering valuable replicable experience for ecological planning and delivery of other urban lake zones.
In the afternoon of July 24, under the guidance of Senior Engineer Wan Ming from the Wuhan Municipal Center for Natural Resource Conservation and Utilization, all workshop participants and faculty visited Jinyinhu National Urban Wetland Park for on-site investigation of local ecological conditions and plan implementation outcomes.
Lecture 5: Policies and Practices of Natural Resource Governance in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (Zeng Chen)
On the morning of July 25, Professor Zeng Chen from the School of Public Administration, Huazhong Agricultural University, delivered a lecture titled Policies and Practices of Natural Resource Governance in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Starting with an overview of natural resource governance and its fundamental importance, he interpreted China’s current natural resource policies aligned with the guiding opinions from the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. He shared a concrete case of intensive urban and rural construction land utilisation policy in Shandong Province, evaluated implementation outcomes, and proposed five recommendations for optimised natural resource governance. Taking village planning practices in Hubei Province as a real-world example, he interpreted comprehensive territorial land consolidation from a village planning perspective, conducted in-depth analysis of ecological product value realisation mechanisms and supporting cases, and summarised policy insights for theoretical advancement, institutional design and local on-the-ground practice.
Lecture 6: Practices of Comprehensive Territorial Land Consolidation – Pathways for Comprehensive Territorial Land Consolidation Tailored to Hubei’s Provincial Conditions (Ye Fangxia)
On the afternoon of July 25, Ye Fangxia, Chief Planner of the Fifth Planning Institute and Director of the Land Consolidation and Ecological Restoration Research Center, Hubei Urban Planning & Design General Institute, delivered a lecture titled
Practices of Comprehensive Territorial Land Consolidation – Pathways for Comprehensive Territorial Land Consolidation Tailored to Hubei’s Provincial Conditions. From a practitioner’s perspective, she unpacked the connotation and evolution of comprehensive territorial land consolidation, alongside national and provincial implementation progress. Accounting for provincial contextual disparities, she explored Hubei’s distinctive pathway to Chinese modernisation through project practice, and analysed the core logic of Hubei’s comprehensive territorial land consolidation initiatives. She presented four typical projects delivered by Hubei Urban Planning & Design General Institute, reflecting on and summarising practical experience based on project characteristics, consolidation strategies and detailed implementation schemes. She also conducted an in-depth analysis of emerging bottlenecks and challenges facing comprehensive territorial land consolidation under the new policy landscape, and proposed corresponding countermeasures.
Lecture 7: Ecological Planning and Governance in Territorial Spatial Planning (Zhang Xiaoling)
On the morning of July 26, Research Fellow Zhang Xiaoling from the Territorial Spatial Planning Research Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, delivered a special lecture on
Ecological Planning and Governance in Territorial Spatial Planning. Zhang first reviewed progress in territorial spatial planning reform, including phased reform achievements, compilation and approval workflows for provincial, municipal, county, township and regional-level plans, and core characteristics of the current round of territorial spatial planning. She then elaborated on ecological governance embedded within territorial spatial planning, focusing on dual evaluations, the three zones and three lines framework, optimisation of the main functional zoning strategic pattern, planning control indicators, regulatory guidance for ecological spaces, and supporting policy instruments. She led a discussion with participants on key forward-looking research topics including standard paradigms for strengthening ecological governance in territorial spatial planning, construction of an ecological planning transmission system to translate national strategic intent down to local levels, and rigid, precise and flexible mechanisms for plan implementation, before answering questions from participants.
Roundtable Discussion: Research, Practice and Outstanding Issues in Ecological Conservation and Spatial Planning
On the afternoon of July 26, a roundtable discussion themed
Research, Practice and Outstanding Issues in Ecological Conservation and Spatial Planning was held.
Discussion Topic 1: China has achieved remarkable results in ecological conservation and restoration in recent years, yet severe ecosystem degradation and a large backlog of overdue restoration work persist in certain regions. How can spatial demands for ecological conservation, restoration and follow-up industrial development be systematically integrated into territorial spatial planning with high quality in the future?
Discussion Topic 2: Against the backdrop of ecological civilisation construction, what effective pathways can territorial spatial planning deploy to facilitate the realisation of ecological product value? How can supporting mechanisms for optimised territorial spatial development be strengthened?
Invited expert panellists included Professor Liu Wenping from the College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University; Professor Wang Zhen from the College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University; Xu Jiayi, Programme Director of Beijing Green Development Center; and Research Fellow Zhang Xiaoling from the Territorial Spatial Planning Research Center, Ministry of Natural Resources. The experts shared insights grounded in their research and practical experience on the two topics and engaged in interactive dialogue with participants. Associate Professor Chen Danling from the School of Public Administration, Huazhong Agricultural University, moderated the discussion.
Closing Ceremony
Upon the conclusion of all lectures, a concise closing ceremony was held. First, a video and photo montage recapped highlights from all workshop activities. Afterwards, Liu Zhi, Director of the PKU-Lincoln Center, and Professor Zeng Chen from the School of Public Administration, Huazhong Agricultural University, delivered closing remarks, expressing gratitude to all invited experts, participants and administrative staff of the co-host institutions. Participant representatives from universities and enterprises shared their takeaways and reflections.
The PKU-Lincoln Center organises a themed summer workshop every year; follow our official channels for upcoming updates.
Text & Photographs
Liu Wei, Li Wenjing, Zhang Yuzhen, Li Yunhe, Liu Xiuying, Zhao Min
