Aiming to jointly explore feasible pathways for the collaborative conservation of global tufa heritage, the China-Pan-Balkan Symposium on Tufa Landscapes: Conservation and Restoration was held in Chengdu, Sichuan province on July 29.

Centering on issues such as the maintenance, conservation, and restoration of tufa landscapes against the backdrop of global change, the event brought together over 100 representatives—including experts from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Poland, as well as domestic researchers in karst science, ecology, and world heritage conservation.

The attendees presented their latest research and practical cases in tufa basic theory, engineering restoration, long-term management and protection, and biodiversity conservation.

In his opening address, Li Jiatang, director general of the Chengdu Institute of Biology (CIB) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said tufa landscapes worldwide are currently facing widespread degradation. However, unified conservation standards are yet to be established. He hoped the symposium would reinforce the bond of Sino-European scientific research cooperation and contribute Sino-European solutions to the sustainable management and protection of global karst natural heritage.

Andelka Plenković-Mora, professor emerita of the University of Zagreb in Croatia, said in the face of global ecological changes, countries should follow ecological laws and jointly seek pathways for the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

The participants agreed that efforts should be made to advance interdisciplinary collaborative innovation, deepen linkages and cooperation between researchers and natural protected area management agencies, and carry out public science popularization on tufa landscapes, thereby raising public awareness regarding the protection of scarce tufa resources.

The symposium was hosted by the China-Croatia Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the CIB.