Gasgoo Munich – NIO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a second-phase cooperation agreement for the Clean Parks initiative at the United Nations building in Beijing on November 13. Building on the results of their first phase of cooperation, the two parties will continue working together on biodiversity conservation, low-carbon development, renewable energy infrastructure and sustainable practices in national parks and other protected areas.
Image source: NIO
Expanding the Clean Parks Initiative
Launched by NIO in collaboration with organizations including UNDP and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Clean Parks is a global ecological conservation initiative and an open collaboration platform for national parks and protected areas initiated by an automaker. It brings together international organizations, nonprofit groups, industry partners, users and the public to apply technology, energy solutions and community resources to conservation projects.
The initiative has established 19 projects in protected areas worldwide and is working with five of China's national parks: Sanjiangyuan, Giant Panda, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard, Hainan Tropical Rainforest and Wuyishan. Through smart electric vehicles, charging and battery-swapping networks, and clean energy infrastructure, the program aims to support greener operations and low-carbon energy self-sufficiency in protected areas.
Priorities for the Second Phase
Under the second-phase agreement, NIO and UNDP will expand the initiative's coverage of demonstration sites and develop replicable standards for low-carbon energy and green transportation in protected areas. They will also work together on biodiversity conservation capacity-building and youth-led ecological innovation projects.
The two parties plan to strengthen international communications around conservation results and share China's experience in public-private partnerships for protected areas. Their cooperation will also support the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Results from the First Phase
Leng Fei, head of the Green Finance Programme at UNDP's China office, outlined the achievements of the first phase of the partnership. These included demonstrations of biodiversity-friendly, climate-aligned solar-storage-charging microgrids and electric vehicle applications at three protected areas: Chongming Dongtan, the Qilian Mountains and the Yellow River Delta. The cooperation also produced the Guidelines for Biodiversity-Friendly Supply Chain Management in the Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Industry.
The second phase will place greater emphasis on green finance to help build resilient communities and cities.
