Peking University NbS Global Innovation Center / Nature-Based Solutions Asia Center Innovation Base

The Peking University NbS Global Innovation Center was established on Earth Day 2024 (April 24) with support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Peking University research and practice team has long been engaged in theoretical research and practical implementation of NbS, sponge cities, and sponge earth concepts. By organically integrating traditional Chinese wisdom with modern ecological technologies, the team promotes harmonious coexistence between cities and nature globally, exploring nature-based pathways for healing the Earth and building climate resilience. The team's extensive portfolio of projects designed and implemented across over 200 cities worldwide has become a global benchmark for NbS practices. These initiatives effectively address challenges such as climate change, flood disasters, and biodiversity loss while fostering community development and economic growth. The center's mission is to advance innovative research on nature-based solutions, offering novel approaches and solutions to tackle climate change and ecological challenges. The Center's inaugural Director is Professor Yu Kongjian, honored as the first “Global Pioneer in NbS” by IUCN, with Wang Dong serving as Deputy Director.

The Center also operates as the “Innovation Base of the Nature-based Solutions Asia Center.” As a partner of the “Nature-based Solutions Asia Center” established through collaboration between China's Ministry of Natural Resources and IUCN, it will further serve national strategies and support ministerial work in NbS innovation research and practice, while strengthening international cooperation and demonstration leadership.

Since its establishment, the Center has played a pivotal role in multiple initiatives, including the selection of NbS best practices, hosting the inaugural NbS Summer School, organizing the 2025 West African Development Bank NbS Workshop, revising IUCN's global standards for nature-based solutions, and contributing to the China Pavilion/France Pavilion at the 2025 World Conservation Congress. It has established extensive partnerships with universities, research institutions, government bodies, and planning/design/construction entities in Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Collaborative research and advisory projects with international organizations including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) continue to showcase China's ecological civilization concepts and practical achievements globally.

IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Gland, Switzerland. As one of the world's largest and most influential international conservation organizations, it is dedicated to helping the global community address the most pressing environmental and development challenges and find effective nature-based solutions. Its primary mission is to influence, encourage, and assist scientists and communities worldwide in preserving the integrity and diversity of natural resources. This includes saving endangered plant and animal species, establishing national parks and protected areas, assessing the conservation status of species and ecosystems, and ensuring that any use of natural resources is balanced and ecologically sustainable. IUCN focuses on protecting biodiversity and ensuring sustainable natural resource use, playing a key guiding role in the conservation and management of diverse ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, coasts, and oceans.

The Nature-based Solutions Asia Center (NbS Asia Center) is jointly supported by China's Ministry of Natural Resources and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Operating under the Ministry's National Land Reclamation Center, the center aims to advance ecological civilization and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature across Asia by promoting research, application, and international cooperation on nature-based solutions (NbS). Its primary functions include developing practical guidelines, identifying exemplary cases, conducting capacity building, and fostering regional exchange and collaboration. The center's establishment coincided with the 2023 Global Coastal Forum, emerging as a key outcome of the forum and laying the groundwork for building an Asian NbS cooperation platform.