Guangdong exceeded the national mangrove restoration targets set under the Mangrove Protection and Restoration Action Plan (2020-25), according to the provincial summary conference on the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) mangrove restoration held on July 7.

As of the end of May, the province has restored 8,195.73 hectares of mangroves, comprising 5,506.79 hectares that were newly created and 2,688.94 hectares that have been rehabilitated, ranking first in the country in terms of the size of the restored area.

An aerial view of the mangrove boardwalk on Techeng Island in Zhanjiang. [Photo/Zhanjiang Daily]

All seven highly urbanized cities in the Greater Bay Area completed their targets ahead of schedule by the end of 2025, despite scarce land resources and development pressures. Four other coastal cities in eastern and western Guangdong province had also fulfilled their tasks by this May.

A panoramic aerial shot of Jinniu Island mangrove wetland in Zhanjiang. [Photo/Zhanjiang Daily]

Facing the challenge that over 80 percent of suitable mangrove land in Guangdong was previously occupied by aquaculture ponds, the province pioneered an integrated "aquaculture-mangrove co-culture" model through pilot projects in the cities of Zhanjiang and Jiangmen.

This approach has been applied to over 1,600 hectares, balancing the protection of local aquaculture industries while meeting restoration goals. The model has now been codified into a provincial technical standard and was cited as a national typical case for marine ecological restoration.

Between 2021 and 2025, Guangdong invested over 5.14 billion yuan ($756.35 million) in mangrove projects. The province also introduced an innovative incentive mechanism for land-use quotas, establishing a provincial quota bank to disburse afforestation rewards ahead of schedule. Over 200 hectares of such reward quotas have been allocated so far.