Myanmar becomes 21st signatory to Intl Mangrove Center agreement

Myanmar has signed the agreement to establish the International Mangrove Center (IMC), becoming the 21st signatory to the document, according to the center's interim secretariat.

The signing ceremony was held online on Thursday, according to a media release from the interim secretariat, which is headquartered in Shenzhen, China's Guangdong province.

The release described Myanmar as an important mangrove-distribution country in Southeast Asia. The Myanmar government has attached great importance to the protection of mangroves and coastal wetlands, incorporating mangrove conservation into its national afforestation and ecological restoration plans, it said.

The country has also pursued mangrove planting and restoration, integrated coastal zone management and capacity building, the interim secretariat continued.

The IMC is the world's first intergovernmental international organization dedicated to mangrove conservation and restoration. It aims to promote global cooperation and joint action in the protection, restoration, rational use and sustainable utilization of mangroves.

Backed by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the Guangdong provincial government, and Shenzhen municipal government, the center was first proposed by China at the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 2022, and launched in 2024.

The Agreement on the Establishment of the International Mangrove Center officially came into force on June 5. The center currently has eight member countries, with 13 more countries having signed the agreement, interim secretariat said.