Estuaries will be the focus of the exhibition of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) at the Shanghai World Expo.

The "River, Estuary and City" exhibition will be seen in a 324-square-meter pavilion illustrating how cities can be prevented from further deterioration at the river basin level and in the scenario of climate change.

WWF China will coordinate efforts to establish the World Estuary Alliance in 2010 to raise awareness on climate change and the negative impact it has on the eco-system, especially on estuaries.

The alliance wants to provide a platform for the sustainable development of estuary worldwide - actually where many of the big cities are located, such as London, New York, Rotterdam and Shanghai - to exchange experiences on conservation and development, and to present solutions to tackle the issue of climate change, involving saltwater intrusion, biodiversity loss, and conflicts between eco-system conservation and waterway transportation.

Exhibits and shows at the pavilion will be fun and family-oriented, and highly educational. It is important that we convey to the people of Shanghai, as well as people around the world, that our efforts are based on nature and its protection. This cannot be taken for granted and more efforts should be made to protect the environment in which our world has flourished.

(Shabghai Daily September 1, 2008)