Visitors at the Habitat Museum of Shanghai. [Photo/Changning District Government]

The Habitat Museum of Shanghai, the first of its kind in China, was unveiled in the city's Changning district on May 22, which marked the International Day for Biodiversity.

Spanning approximately 600 square meters, the museum stands as an ecological and cultural hub that provides residents with a glimpse into the local area's rich biodiversity. 

The Leyi Habitat Garden.[Photo/Changning District Government] 

Adjacent to the museum lies the Leyi Habitat Garden, which covers an area of 732 square meters and is Shanghai's largest community habitat garden. Once an abandoned public space strewn with waste, the habitat garden was transformed by local residents in 2021 with the assistance of The Nature Conservancy, a global non-profit organization dedicated to natural resource protection.

A habitat garden serves as a dual-purpose space, functioning both as a wildlife habitat and a community garden. Since its completion in 2021, the Leyi Habitat Garden has housed 129 plant species, 36 bird species, over 30 insect species, and four mammal species, including animals under second-level national protection such as raccoon dog, crested goshawk, and kestrel.

Visitors at the Habitat Museum of Shanghai. [Photo/Changning District Government]

In 2021, the habitat garden gained global recognition - it was showcased at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan province.

Featuring six themed regions including an evergreen garden, bird watching corridor, and natural conservatory, the Leyi Habitat Garden complements the habitat museum to allow visitors see the specimens of over 1,200 types of animals and plants, along with close to 100 live species.

As Shanghai aims to transform into an eco-city by 2035, Changning district has been at the forefront of the city's habitat garden initiatives. Since the establishment of Shanghai's first habitat garden in 2019, Changning alone now boasts 24 such gardens, with an additional three to be completed by the year's end.

Source: eastday.com