Milu deer, also known as Pere David's deer, wander at a national nature reserve in Shishou, central China's Hubei Province, May 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

"Our solutions are in nature. A systemic spoil of nature will take away the foundation of human survival and development, and will leave us like a river without a source and a tree without its roots," China's permanent representative to the United Nations said.

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, on Friday called on the international community to respect nature, protect it, and follow its laws to advance global ecological civilization.

"Our solutions are in nature. A systemic spoil of nature will take away the foundation of human survival and development, and will leave us like a river without a source and a tree without its roots. The international community should pay greater attention to this issue," Zhang told the COP15: Road to Kunming, Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth, a virtual webinar on biodiversity organized by the permanent mission of China, the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

COP15 refers to the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

"We need to pursue sustainable development so that we can recover better and faster," said Zhang, adding that "we need to step up actions and cooperation for better global environmental governance."

An egret flies at Xiangshan Forest Park in Xinjian District of Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, May 18, 2021. (Xinhua/unreguser)

Speaking about the progress that China has made in protecting nature, the ambassador said that China tops the world in forest resource increase over the past decade, adding that 90 percent of terrestrial ecosystem types and 85 percent of key wild animal populations in China have been effectively protected.

The area of desertified land in China, which used to increase by 10,040 square kilometers annually, now decreases by 2,424 square kilometers per year, he said.

China also strives to achieve a carbon peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060, he said. "Guided by the vision of green development and the 2030 Agenda, China helps other developing countries combat biodiversity loss and climate change through Belt and Road cooperation and South-South cooperation to benefit their people."