As a member of the World Coastal Forum, REST-COAST participated in the WCF conference held from September 25 to 27 in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, China. REST-COAST played the role of both an organiser and a presenter at this event.

The World Coastal Forum was established in response to the needs outlined in various global environmental agreements, aiming to create a global framework to address the challenges associated with sustainable coastal management. This initiative commenced in 2022, with the goal of promoting and facilitating a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach to enhance the protection, conservation, management, and restoration of coastal ecosystems worldwide, for the long-term well-being of both people and biodiversity.

During the last week of September, the conference saw the participation of nearly 1,000 individuals, including government officials, researchers, and industry representatives from around the world, all coming together to address critical issues related to coastal management and restoration. The Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government hosted the conference, with support from the Eco Foundation Global and the World Coastal Forum Coordination Group, which includes representatives from government agencies, international conventions, non-government organisations, and advisors.

As a partner of the WCF, REST-COAST actively participated in the opening ceremony of the conference. Additionally, two presentations were delivered as part of the REST-COAST project. Xavier Sánchez-Artús from the Maritime Engineering Laboratory at UPC BarcelonaTech in Spain presented "Hydro-morpho-ecological modeling for deltaic restoration," while Wei Chen from Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in Germany presented "Hydro-morpho-ecological modeling for the restoration of estuarine systems." Xavier Sánchez-Artús also served as a speaker during the World Coastal Forum International Advisory Meeting, addressing topic 2, "Developing globally shared coastal knowledge products." Participants at the conference included representatives from the University of Cambridge, WWF, Cornell Lab, IUCN and EAAFP.

The conference provided an excellent platform for engaging discussions on coastal and wetland restoration strategies and how to implement them. Moreover, it facilitated broader conversations about conservation and strategies for managing future environmental impacts.