A picturesque view of Xiamen, East China's Fujian province. [Photo/China Daily]

A series of marine-themed activities have been unveiled at the ongoing World Ocean Week from Nov 18-24 in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, which have enriched the annual event's content on ocean-related issues.

The 2021 Blue Carbon International Forum held on Friday was one of the activities to address the significance of low-carbon development.

According to the organizer, this is the first time for the World Ocean Week event to introduce the concept of "blue carbon"－a process or mechanism of using marine organisms and their activities to absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and then store it in the ocean.

Nowadays, the concept has been seen as one of key strategies in dealing with climate change. The activity aims to share the latest progress in blue carbon research and to propel the evolution of management methods in the field.

Some 10 experts at the event shared their experiences in coastal zone blue carbon ecosystem management and explored some potential ecosystems working under the mechanism in the ocean.

The Island Research Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources worked together with the China Ocean Development Foundation and held another supplementary activity at the World Ocean Week－the 2021 International Forum on Island Ecological Protection.

A total of 12 foreign experts from Grenada, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark and some domestic universities and research institutes shared their expertise on topics such as island ecological protection, how to cope with climate change, recover from the woes of natural disasters and realize the sustainable development of islands.

Moreover, they delivered speeches on the protection of the Pacific Ocean, COVID-19 prevention strategies, different-sized island ecological construction methods, island protection and restoration, seawater desalination as well as marine space planning and other technologies.

The forum, taking place both online and offline, was attended by around 400 delegates and its live broadcast received nearly 6,000 views.

Chen Danhong, deputy director of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said at the event that China and island countries and regions share common concerns in addressing climate change, combating marine pollution, protecting biodiversity and developing the blue economy partnership.

They should work together in promoting practical cooperation by rolling out cooperating policies and planning, Chen said.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Marine Sustainable Development Center. To deliver the objectives of the organization and restate its goal, the sixth APEC Blue Economic Forum was held along with the World Ocean Week.