A team from the College of the Environment & Ecology of Xiamen University has taken its three-year mangrove conservation initiative from China's coast to Indonesia, working with local partners to study and protect mangrove ecosystems.
The team began the "Maritime Forest · Belt and Road Initiative" in 2024, traveling along the coast of Fujian province to visit mangrove planting sites. In 2025, the team covered more than 3,000 kilometers across five provinces from north to south, examining new methods for mangrove conservation and restoration.
This year, the team crossed the equator and entered Indonesia, extending its fieldwork overseas.
The team left Surface Elevation Table (SET) monitoring sites on tidal flats and planted mangrove seedlings in intertidal zones. It also established China-Indonesia sister stations for mangrove field observation, providing the joint research effort with permanent monitoring sites.
For the students, the three-year journey has transformed mangrove conservation from a mere field study into real-world practice. Monitoring sites now stand on tidal flats, while mangrove saplings take root in the intertidal zone.
The project has also brought young people from China and Indonesia together around global environmental change, with a shared aspiration to build a "Science Silk Road" and protect mangroves together.
