The 2018 Sustainable Development under Globalization and New Urbanization International Conference takes place at Ocean College, Zhejiang University on Sept 26. [Photo/ zj.zjol.com]

Experts and scholars from home and abroad joined in a discussion about the sustainable development of islands under the scope of globalization and new urbanization on Sept 26 at Ocean College, Zhejiang University, in Dinghai district, Zhoushan.

They shared their ideas on topics related to islands, resources, tourism and society, from multiple perspectives such as environmental science, geography and anthropology.

Islands, as popular tourist destinations, boast unique landscapes and living environments. They are presented with unprecedented opportunities under the trend of globalization, but are also fronted by many problems arousing from new urbanization.

Godfrey Baldacchino from UNESCO emphasized the important role of the distance between islands and the mainland in island development, claiming that remoter islands economically rely less on the mainland. 

Wu Yue, a professor from the College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, explained how islands promote the integrated development of Yangtze River Delta with its distinctive geographical advantages.

Wang Xiaohui, chief engineer at the National Marine Information Center, shared her studies in the ecological evaluation of island resources and her thoughts on the island ecological index system citing the Peach Island of Zhoushan as an example. 

Wang also proposed a development model with ecological protection at its core and cultural inheritance as a characteristic, for creating an island perfect for habitation.