KUNMING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, is preparing for the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), rescheduled for May next year after delay by the COVID-19 epidemic, officials said Tuesday.

Themed "Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth," the event was originally scheduled for October this year.

The global conference, under the aegis of the United Nations, will review the post-2020 biodiversity framework and set new global biodiversity targets for 2030. Two other events -- meetings of parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and parties to the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing -- will be held simultaneously.

"Hosting COP15 is a great recognition and encouragement to Yunnan's biodiversity conservation work," said Gao Zhengwen, deputy director of the Office of Yunnan Steering Group for COP15.

"We are making every effort to prepare for the conference and accelerating urban development work to show the city's unique charm," Gao said. Kunming is dubbed the "City of Eternal Spring" and known for its pleasant climate and picturesque landscape.

As the incoming presidency of COP15, China will work with other nations to achieve an ambitious, balanced and pragmatic outcome, as well as build a vibrant, clean and beautiful world, according to China's position paper for the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity, jointly issued by the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

In order to tackle the difficulties of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Office of China Executive Committee for COP15 and the Office of Yunnan Steering Group for COP15 have both conducted 10 online meetings since April with Nader Ibrahim, a conference officer of the convention on CBD Secretariat, exchanging views on topics including the number of attendees, venues and volunteer services.

Kunming is carrying out renovation work on 62 roads in its main urban area and building several theme parks and viewing areas of floral landscapes. So far this year, the city has built 126.6 hectares of new urban green space, and built or upgraded 13 flower-themed parks, according to Wang Daoxing, another deputy director of the Office of Yunnan Steering Group for COP15.

"We expect that the preparatory works will bring tangible benefits to people," Wang said.

Though Yunnan accounts for only 4.1 percent of China's land area, the province is yet deemed "Kingdom of Animals and Plants" and "Gene Bank of Species" because it harbors more than 50 percent of the country's biological species.

"Achieving the harmony between humankind and nature is turning from a vision into a reality in Yunnan," Gao said.

"Yunnan has implemented China's first local law on biodiversity conservation," Gao said. "We have also established a germplasm pool of wild species, and took the lead in protecting species of tiny population."

In recent years, China has made significant achievements in ecological conservation with the enforcement of laws, policies and other measures, such as the construction of national parks and a ban on forest logging. Ecological progress is part of the country's five-sphere integrated plan, which includes economic, political, cultural and social progress.

Yunnan has established 166 nature reserves at different levels, protecting about 90 percent of the typical ecosystem and 85 percent of important species, including Asian elephants and Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, according to Gao.

As of June, the province has 360 protected areas covering a total stretch of about 5.53 million hectares. A comprehensive system for protecting nature reserves has been established by the province, which has played an important role in building up the ecological security barrier in southwest China.

"There are more trees on the streets and numerous varieties of flowers in the park. Kunming's environment is getting more and more comfortable," said Gao Xiaoyu, a local resident.