The Shandong Vegetation Chronicle is unveiled by Shandong University. [Photo/China News]

Shandong University in Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province, has unveiled the Shandong Vegetation Chronicle, in which the province's vegetation types were documented for the first time in a full, comprehensive and standardized manner.

The significant documentation was released at a seminar on serving the nation's efforts to build an ecological civilization organized by the university at its Qingdao campus on May 22. During the event, the province's achievements in biodiversity conservation were also released, and a series of innovative achievements such as Shandong Vegetation Chronicle and Rare and Endangered Plants of Shandong were unveiled.

Wang Renqing, a professor from the School of Life Sciences at Shandong University, said that the Shandong Vegetation Chronicle is a comprehensive documentation spanning approximately 800 pages and 1.3 million characters. The book systematically describes the current status of vegetation in Shandong province, including characteristics, types, distribution, dynamics, and conservation, Wang said.

"The Shandong Vegetation Chronicle lists seven types, 23 subtypes, 135 formations, and 321 communities of vegetation. More than one-third of the formations and communities have been recorded for the first time. This book serves as an important foundation for the protection and restoration of vegetation in Shandong and provides essential scientific data for research into vegetation in China," he said.

Wang emphasized that the biological habitats within conservation areas across Shandong are closely linked to the vegetation environment. The chronicle holds great guiding significance for the establishment of natural conservation areas in various regions of Shandong, he said.

Furthermore, vegetation forms the foundation for the construction of ecological civilization and the harmonious coexistence between man and nature, making it essential to China's modernization endeavors, he added.