The Urban Green Heart Initiative of Chengdu, the project on the conservation and development of Longquan Mountain National Urban Forest Park, became the Grand Winner of the AIPH World Green City Awards 2024 and the Winner in the Living Green for Biodiversity and Urban Ecosystem Restoration category by International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) at the awarding ceremony for the 2024 World Green City Awards held on September 25 local time in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The city of Chengdu, among the award-winning cities at the ceremony, was honored the AIPH World Green City Grand Award with the highest total score in seven categories.

▲Certificate for Grand Winner of World Green City Awards 2024

▲Certificate for Living Green for Biodiversity and Urban Ecosystem Restoration Winner category

The Urban Green Heart Initiative of Chengdu, with Longquan Mountain National Urban Forest Park, the “Urban Green Heart” in the city, as a pivotal part of the city’s ambitious drive for urban ecological construction. The city plans to make the 1,275-square-kilometer area of Longquan Mountain a huge urban park to provide city residents a more livable natural environment, better protect the habitat for fauna and flora species and promote biodiversity, and maintain urban prosperity boosted by nature. With its mid-term goals for 2035 and long-term goals for 2050, the initiative has been incorporated into the strategic plans of the national, provincial, and municipal governments. The municipal government has set up an office in charge of the promotion of the project and formulated special local regulations to ensure the implementation of the plan.

The World Green City Awards, initiated by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), aims to showcase the beautiful ecological environments and support nature-oriented urban planning, construction, and green development of cities around the world. The awards have been conferred biennially since its launch in 2022.