EVENTS

China has incorporated the United Nations 2030 Agenda into its national development strategy, with the concepts of ecological civilization and Beautiful China serving as important guiding principles for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem governance. Today’s presentation examines China’s implementation of SDG 15 (Life on Land) through an assessment of Targets 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, and 15.5, which address the conservation of terrestrial, freshwater, and mountain ecosystems, sustainable forest management, land degradation neutrality, and biodiversity protection. Drawing on English and Chinese policy documents, official reports, and SDG indicators, the research has combined policy analysis with indicator-based evaluation. The findings reveal significant progress in afforestation, ecological restoration, and the expansion of protected areas. At the same time, tensions between economic development and ecological conservation, together with continuing pressures on biodiversity and natural habitats, expose persistent implementation challenges. The presentation highlights both the achievements and limitations of China’s SDG 15 performance and discusses its interconnections with broader sustainable development objectives.

Speaker

Debasish Chaudhuri is a former faculty member of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, and an Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), New Delhi. His research interests encompass Xinjiang studies, Chinese law and governance, regional economic development, minority literature, and China’s engagement with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular emphasis on ecological governance and sustainable development. He is the author of Xinjiang and the Chinese State: Violence in the Reform Era and the monograph Countering Internal Security Challenges in Xinjiang: Rise of the Surveillance State? His recent works examine ethnic identity and interethnic relations in Wang Meng’s fiction, China’s criminal justice system, anti-gambling campaigns, rare earth strategy, the K-Visa regime, and human rights under COVID-19 restrictions.

Chair

Biswajit Dhar is a Development Economist and former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University. He was Director General of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries and played a key role in establishing and leading the Centre for WTO Studies. He has represented India in major multilateral negotiations, including the WTO, UNFCCC, WIPO, and CBD, and has served on expert groups for various international organisations. He has been a consultant to UNCTAD, UNESCAP, UNDP, ILO, WHO, and the South Centre, and is widely published in national and international journals. He is a regular columnist, and has served on the Board of Directors of the EXIM Bank of India, and advises several trade and IPR-focused institutions.

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