A comprehensive global knowledge platform developed by the World Bank Group was launched on Wednesday during the Global Landscapes Forum Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, where international experts praised the initiative for strengthening knowledge sharing and investment to promote large-scale ecological restoration worldwide.

They also acknowledged China's practical experience in ecological protection and restoration, saying it would provide valuable reference points for the world through the platform.

The Livable Landscapes Academy is a structured platform designed to facilitate the sharing and accumulation of knowledge, while accelerating and scaling up investments aimed at avoiding, reducing and restoring degraded landscapes. Its goal is to help double the World Bank Group's conservation and management outcomes from 120 million hectares to 240 million hectares by 2035.

Valerie Hickey, director of the Environment Department at the World Bank Group, emphasized the platform's importance in integrating and sharing knowledge by bringing together systematic insights and innovative experiences.

Over the next decade, the platform will focus on advancing knowledge production, synthesis and application in the landscape sector, while aligning closely with financial investment to drive the shift from investing in isolated "green projects" to building a sustainable economic system, Hickey said.

She also noted that the Global Ecosystem and Transformation Center — a technical support center established by China's Ministry of Natural Resources and the World Bank Group — is one of the key cooperative platforms of the Livable Landscapes Academy. Through the platform, China's extensive experience and achievements in large-scale ecological restoration will be shared globally.

Deborah Mlongo Barasa, Kenya's cabinet secretary for environment, climate change and forestry, stressed that ecological restoration must move from concept to large-scale implementation, as healthy landscapes are the foundation for climate resilience, food security, biodiversity conservation and sustainable economic growth.

Barasa said the current moment is critical for driving transformative action toward livable landscapes, and called on all parties to work together to achieve a resilient and sustainable future.

Zhong Chongjun, deputy director-general of the Department of Territorial Space Ecological Restoration at China's Ministry of Natural Resources, said China has upheld the principle that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets."

Zhong said China has advanced large-scale ecological protection and restoration in a coordinated manner through legal frameworks, planning systems, project implementation, and technical standards, while actively exploring ways to realize the value of ecological products and improve livelihoods.

He said practice has shown that ecology itself is economy, and protecting the environment means developing productive forces. The vision has not only profoundly changed China but also helped build global consensus and point the way toward harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.