[SDG Series] Life Below Water: WHY IT MATTERS?

Xi has a comprehensive background in energy transition, climate change and sustainable development, including specific topics like Clean Development Mechanism, cleaner production, nature-based solutions, etc. She has worked for the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, international organizations and NGOs – as program official at The Administrative Centre for China’s Agenda 21, as policy analyst at the International Energy Agency, as senior advisor at the Clean Energy Ministerial Secretariat and as the climate change and energy director of The Nature Conservancy’s China program.

For the past 16 years, she has worked closely with different stakeholders including policy makers, opinion leaders, funding partners, commercial partners and experts. She believes that joint efforts by critical sectors and synergies among policies are key to tackling global challenges like climate change, nature and ocean protection.

Xi holds a Master’s degree on Economic Law and a Bachelor’s degree on Finance from Xi’an Jiaotong University.

Patrick Yeung, Senior Ocean Conservation Expert Consultant for WWF China.

Patrick Yeung obtained his PhD in Biology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Since 2006, he participated in various research projects on coral, seaweed and dolphin ecology. He joined the marine conservation team of WWF Hong Kong in 2014, to study on marine litter problems as well as coastal biodiversity in Hong Kong through citizen science activities. Based on the survey results, new strategies were developed to solve the marine litter problem with different sectors, and to facilitate the regional cooperation. Besides, he closely engaged with local marine experts and scientists to review Hong Kong’s marine ecological data, which helped identify marine ecological hot spots for government’s reference as the basis for conservation and research works.

He has joined the WWF China’s team in 2019 to advance the ocean conservation program. In particular, he is leading the projects on marine habitat/species conservation, sustainable fisheries and ocean plastic. To tackle the territory wide issues in this big country, WWF is actively building partnerships with NGOs, research institutes, industry associations to provide more comprehensive and in-depth solutions and to amplify influences of ocean conservation. With the Blue Planet Fund established in 2018, the team is supporting effective and innovative marine conservation projects, in order to facilitate the society to take scientific-based actions to protect the ocean together.

Songlin has 20 years of research and work experience in China’s marine conservation and sustainable seafood movement. His career path includes working for The Nature Conservancy, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF China and WWF International), and The Paulson Institute (PI). His role with WWF extended from implementing the Yellow Sea Ecoregion Planning and Support Project to introducing Marine Stewardship Council (ASC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) to Chinese seafood industry and market stakeholders. He also masterminded and managed PI’s signature Coastal Wetland Conservation Blueprint Project helping identify and preserve China’s most critical coastal wetlands together with Chinese governmental and academic leaders.

Songlin led Ocean Outcomes’ China team during 2015-2018. In 2016 he helped establish ASC’s China program and has been serving as a strategic advisor. In 2017, Songlin founded and since has been chairing Qingdao Marine Conservation Society (QMCS), a young and professional Chinese environmental NGO focusing on coastal & marine ecosystem conservation and seafood sustainability. QMCS supports Monterey Bay Aquarium SeafoodWatch on seafood sustainability assessments and works in core partnership with Ocean Outcomes on comprehensive Fishery Improvement Projects and Aquaculture Improvement Projects in China.

Songlin majored in marine ecology at the Ocean University of China as an undergraduate, and then obtained a masters’ degree in environmental management at Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Songin is a 2021 Pew Marine Conservation Fellow. He is also a member of Friends of Ocean Action and currently serving the Board of Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions.

Linian Li is managing and developing Modern Water’s business in China and formulating company ‘s strategy. She has double master degrees, MBA in Natural Resources Energy & Environment from University of Alberta, Canada and Master in Management, Grande Ecole Programme from EDHEC Business School, France. An executive with more than ten years of management experience in sales, marketing, business development, project management, corporate strategy, personnel, P&L and general management in international companies, including JCDecaux, GM Europe GmbH, Carat, Rouse & Co., International. And a self-motivated strategic thinker with determination and effective leadership skills possess extensive real life experience in the business and social cultures of Asia, Europe and North America. Linian got Women Leadership Awards—Innovator of the Year in 2021.