Prof. Yang Zhifeng, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Prof. Philippe Gourbesville, President of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR), delivered opening remarks

Scholars at home and abroad took a group photo on mangrove field trip on Qi-ao Island

The 4th International Symposium on COastal Resources and Environment  (CORE 2023) has successfully concluded, bringing together a diverse and dynamic group of researchers from around the globe to discuss and exchange ideas on the future of coastal sustainability. The symposium, which took place at Guangdong University of Technology, served as a vibrant platform for knowledge-sharing and collaborative discussions on the challenges and opportunities for sustainable coastal management in the face of environmental pressures.

This year’s event continued the legacy of the CORE symposium series, which has been held biennially since 2017. Previous symposia, including CORE 2021 in Nanjing, China, attracted over 160 participants from 20 countries, and CORE 2023 saw similar engagement, with experts and scholars from various disciplines uniting to present cutting-edge research and solutions for coastal conservation and restoration.

CORE 2023 was jointly hosted by Guangdong University of Technology, Hohai University, and Beijing Normal University, with co-sponsorship from several prestigious institutions, including the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), the International Association of Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR), the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Sun Yat-Sen University, and Delft University of Technology.

The symposium was organized by the School of Ecology, Environment and Resources at Guangdong University of Technology, along with the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, and the Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education.

Throughout the event, participants shared innovative solutions for pressing environmental challenges, contributing to a renewed commitment to protecting and enhancing coastal ecosystems. As the symposium concluded, it became clear that collaboration across disciplines and borders will be essential to ensuring a sustainable and resilient future for coastal regions worldwide.