Chapter 15 - Conservation of Biodiversity
INTRODUCTION
15.1 There is a rich biodiversity in China in keeping with its large area and range of natural and geographical conditions. China's biodiversity ranks eighth in the world and first in the northern hemisphere. Its main characteristics are as follows:
- (a) China's land and water areas include many
diverse ecosystems. Terrestrial ecosystems can be broken into twenty-seven
broad categories of 460 types. There are sixteen broad categories of forest,
consisting of 185 types; four broad categories of grassland, consisting
of 56 types; seven broad categories of desert, consisting of 79 types;
and five broad categories of wetland and freshwater areas; six broad categories
of marine ecosystems, consisting of 30 types;
(b) China has a great variety of plant and animal life consisting of both indigenous and exotic species. More than 32,800 species of higher plants and about 104,500 species of animals have been identified. During the Quaternary period, the Palaeolithic continent of China was not greatly affected by the glacial movements, subsequently allowing for the survival of many ancient plant and animal species;
(c) China has been very successful at cultivating hybrid plants from a wide range of wild species, making China one of the world's three largest centres of origin for cultivated plants. There are 237 species of cultivated plants and many species, genetically related to cultivated plants, still exist in their wild form. In China, there are more than six hundred species of commonly cultivated crops, more than ten thousand species of fruit trees and more than four hundred species of domestic animal and fowl.
15.2 China has signed the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity, and is preparing to implement a national action plan in accordance with the Convention. Since the 1950s, the Chinese Government has formulated guidelines and policies for protecting biodiversity and has taken a series of measures to protect biodiversity, while at the same time, promulgating laws relating to the conservation of biodiversity.
15.3 General policies for natural resources, animal and plant conservation, and biodiversity are as follows:
- (a) The policy for natural resource conservation
in China is "overall planning, active conservation, scientific management,
and sustainable use";
(b) The policy for wild animal conservation in China is "strengthening resource conservation, actively domesticating and breeding, and rationally developing and utilizing";
(c) The policy for biodiversity conservation in China is "laying equal stress on both the development and utilization and the conservation and protection of natural resources" and "he who develops, conserves; he who utilizes, compensates; he who destroys, restores";
(d) The China Programme for Natural Conservation published by the Environmental Protection Committee of the State Council in 1987 is the first strategic document on conservation in China, and provides the overall strategy, fundamental principles and general response measures for the protection of biodiversity in China.
15.4 The management system for the protection of biodiversity in China is:
- (a) The National Environmental Protection Agency
(NEPA) is the lead organization in implementing a unified supervision and
management system for the coordination of national efforts for environmental
protection and the conservation of biodiversity nation-wide. The Ministry
of Forestry, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Administration of Oceanography
and the Ministry of Construction are responsible for providing management
in their respective areas. The State Planning Commission and the State
Science and Technology Commission also have responsibilities for the conservation
of biodiversity;
(b) Local governments have agencies similar to those in the central government, which have been established to address local issues in the conservation of biodiversity;
(c) Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences, the Chinese Ecological Society, the Chinese Society for Forestry, the Chinese Society of Agronomy, the Chinese Society of Oceanography, the Chinese Society of Botany, the Chinese Society of Zoology, and the Chinese Association of Wildlife Conservation, play an active role in promoting biodiversity conservation in coordination with the governmental agencies.
15.5 Scientific research on the conservation of biodiversity has been quite successful and there is already a good basis for further research:
- (a) Under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, thirty-three
research institutes and fifty-two stationary experimental stations have
been organized into The Chinese Research Network of Ecosystems, involving
more than one thousand scientists in the study of ecosystems. The National
Research Network of Forest Ecosystems has twenty stations. In the sector
of environmental protection, monitoring stations have been established
for the study of the ecologies of grasslands, deserts, wetlands and forests;
(b) Since the 1950s, surveys on flora and fauna and other living natural resources and collections of cultivated plants, livestock and poultry have been carried out. A Specimen Museum for Plants and Animals, the largest one in Asia, has been established. In the 1980s, surveys of rare and endangered plant and animal species were conducted. Through surveys, plant and animal species have been classified and their distributions shown, producing an assessment of the health of the various ecosystems and resulting in the discovery of a number of new species;
(c) Great progress also has been made in the study of the technology of biodiversity conservation and its application to production. The use of wild species in plant breeding to improve yields of many varieties of rice, and the simulation of natural environments suitable for the growth and reproduction of migrating species have also been successful.
15.6 There is one programme area in this chapter:
PROGRAMME AREA
A. Conservation of Biodiversity
Basis for action
15.7 China's first nature reserve was established in 1956. By the end of 1991, a total of 708 nature reserves covering an area of 568,000 square kilometres (5.54% of China's land area) had been established in China. Seventy-seven of the reserves are National Reserves. Ten nature reserves, Mount Dinghu, Mount Changbai, Wolong, Mount Fanjing, Mount Wuyi, Xilin'guole, Peak Bogeda, Shennongjia, Yancheng and Xishuangbanna have been included by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the International Network of Biosphere Reserves. Another 6 nature reserves, Zhalong, Xianghai, Bird Island, Poyang Lake, East Dongting Lake and Dongzhai Harbour have been listed in the List of International Important Wetlands.
15.8 China has 28 zoological gardens and 143 zoological exhibition sites within large parks. There are, altogether, more than 600 species of animals, numbering over 100,000, in zoos. In addition, 227 artificial breeding farms for wild animals have been established. There are more than 110 botanical gardens with more than 13,000 species of flora, including 80% of the valuable, rare and endangered species of plants, which are preserved at the national level. China has now established the world's largest resource bank of different varieties of crops, a number of gene and cell banks and 25 germ-plasm nurseries, which hold a total of 350 thousand specimens of germ-plasm for various species of trees and crops.
15.9 Major biodiversity problems presently confronting China are:
- (a) Current and ongoing destruction of ecosystems.
The primeval forests of China have, for many years, been facing destruction
brought about by arbitrary cutting, clearing for agricultural use, forest
fires and pest infestations, with a resulting annual diminishing of approximately
5,000 square kilometres. 870,000 square kilometres of grassland areas have
been degraded due to over- pasturing, reclamation for agricultural use
and damage by rodents. An area of 3.67 million square kilometres has been
eroded by water and wind;
(b) There are a large number of threatened and endangered species in China. In China, 15-20% of plant and animal species are threatened, well over the world's average of 10-15%. China is home to 156 of the 640 species listed in Appendix I of the International Convention on the Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna;
(c) There is an impending threat of reduction or disappearance of sources of genetic germ plasma. The introduction of exotic species and genetic yield research have put pressure on a number of indigenous species, subsequently reducing their numbers or destroying them completely.
15.10 In response to the problems identified above, the State Council's Commission on Environmental Protection has proposed the establishment of an Office for the Conservation of Biodiversity to oversee scientific research and inter-agency coordination for the protection of biodiversity.
Objectives
15.11 China's goal is to establish a national network of nature reserves. By the year 2000, a network of nature reserves, which will include a full range of types and levels of biodiversity and which will have a reasonable distribution and appropriate area coverage, will have been established. Up to 1,000 reserves will be developed. Adding forest parks will bring the total area to one million square kilometres. By the year 2000, there should be at least 150 national nature reserves, or approximately 15% of the total number of reserves, which will allow for the in situ conservation of more than 60% of the nation's protected wildlife and representative ecosystems.
15.12 China will work to conserve special habitats and ecosystems, such as wetlands, coral reef ecosystems, mangrove ecosystems, estuary ecosystems and plateau lake ecosystems, as well as protecting migrating animal species.
15.13 China will work to conserve habitats other than those within the nature reserve system, including but not limited to, selectively felled forest, secondary bush, pasture land and farm fields. The emphasis will be placed on conserving agro-ecosystems and agricultural species by establishing a number of sites for in situ conservation of wild relatives of crop species and by seeking to gradually establish a number of protected areas or agricultural field types, which are of local significance.
15.14 China will work to establish a national network for off-site conservation of the genetic materials from rare and endangered species of plants. By the year 2000, 35 national centres for breeding rare and endangered species of flora and fauna, including 15 centres for off-site preservation of various species of flora, will have been established. China will establish national germ plasma and gene banks for rare and endangered species, one each for flora and fauna, and will work to expand off-site conservation, population expansion and wild population rebuilding for 10 endangered species of plants and 20 endangered species of animals. Additionally, China will establish 23 banks for mid-term preservation of germ plasma resources and 20 conservation and breeding sites for livestock and poultry species.
15.15 China will work to strengthen work in the domestication of rare and endangered species of wildlife and work in the collection, preservation and breeding of germ plasma resources of agricultural plants. Additionally, China will focus on establishing 23 local banks for mid-term preservation of germ plasma resources, and 10 nurseries for preserving the genetic resources of perennial crops. These will act as the bases for preserving and breeding rubber trees, as well as providing semen banks for varieties of livestock and poultry.
15.16 China will work to conserve the biodiversity of freshwater and marine aquatic life by investing in the construction of several aquariums and will begin off-site conservation and scientific research on endangered species of aquatic life. A national bank for algae species and a centre for algae specimens will be established.
15.17 China will work to coordinate conservation of biodiversity with sustainable use of living resources by focusing on solving conflicts between the management of nature reserves and improving local inhabitants ability to earn a living. The goals of this work are as follows:
- (a) To establish biodiversity protection areas.
By the year 2000, 20 representative nature reserves will be selected for
the establishment of such areas. In addition, one area of biodiversity
will be established in each of the national nature reserves and in each
province which has important biological resources;
(b) To work for the restoration of degraded ecosystems. Before the year 2000, appropriate measures will be taken to restore habitats which have been seriously affected by drought, salinization, desertification, deforestation and soil erosion.
Activities
15.18 To strengthen the management of the protection of biodiversity by:
- (a) Promulgating the People's Republic of China's
Regulations for the Management of Nature Reserves, Rules for the Management
of Nature Reserves and Rules for the Management of Land in Nature Reserves;
formulating Regulations for the Conservation of Wild Plants, and improving
the means of the implementation of these laws by strengthening enforcement
teams;
(b) Working to develop a strategy and plan for biodiversity conservation. China will prepare the China National Action Programme for Implementing the Convention on Biodiversity and will formulate China's Action Plan for the Conservation of Biodiversity; the Chinese Government will include protection of biodiversity in national economic development plans, and agencies which deal with natural resources should include the protection of biodiversity in their respective sectorial planning;
(c) China will formulate various standards to ensure the protection of biodiversity, for example, a standard for the degree of endangerment for various species. China will establish standards for the construction, management, classification and grading of nature reserves and will establish indicator systems for ecological monitoring. China will work to study and prepare standards for zoning, will draw up zoning maps of the biodiversity of agricultural systems and marine ecosystems, and will develop assessment standards and inventories for areas with high biodiversity. China will prepare a system for ranking major conservation areas;
(d) China will promote various management systems to enhance the management of supervision, the goal of which is to gradually encourage the management of biodiversity on an institutional, regularized and scientific basis.
15.19 To develop an information system for monitoring the protection of biodiversity by the following means:
- (a) Establishing and perfecting China's network
for monitoring the conservation of biodiversity. Based on the results of
surveys on biodiversity in China, a unified biodiversity monitoring network
for China will be established. This network will be used to carry out long-term
dynamic monitoring of wild plant and animal species, nature reserves, unique
ecosystems and the trade in wildlife. Monitoring will be conducted using
a unified monitoring technical code and by using advanced technical means,
such as stationary or semi-stationary monitoring, remote sensing, aerial
surveys, lasers, geographical information system (GIS) and others. Before
the end of this century, building a wildlife monitoring system and developing
the standards for surveying wildlife will be emphasized. As well, a national
monitoring and information system for biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems
will be set up and will focus on the monitoring, classification and storage
of information about diversity in wildlife, crops, livestock, poultry and
aquatic life;
(b) Establishing China's national information system for the protection of biodiversity. A national biodiversity information database system will be established, which will include a nature reserve database, a database on rare and endangered plant and animal species, a database on the economic utilization of plant and animal species, a database on the classification of marine life, a database on scientific findings in China's biodiversity, and others. The information system will process national biodiversity information, provide a full range of basic data for management and scientific research institutions, and will allow an international exchange of information.
15.20 To actively develop international and regional cooperation on the protection of biodiversity:
- (a) China has signed to several major conventions
concerning the protection of biodiversity. Working within the framework
of preserving state sovereignty over plants, animals, and other natural
resources, China will cooperate in research and development and will provide
other countries with information on its natural resources. Cooperation
will be in accord with the mechanisms of relevant conventions and in accord
with the national situation, so as to share benefits and to obtain financial
and technical assistance;
(b) China will continue to expand bilateral and multilateral cooperation, and wishes to enhance exchanges and cooperation in the fields of management, scientific research, technological development and technical transfer, and manpower training. This might include the joint establishment of trans-boundary nature reserves or the cooperation between countries having nature reserves on either side of a boundary, so as to enhance the protection of migrating animals;
(c) China will continue to cooperate with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in the management and evaluation of biodiversity; with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the planning of projects for the protection of biodiversity; with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the conservation of endangered species and ecosystem diversity and the sustainable use of living resources; with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in conservation projects; with the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) in the Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme for scientific research and manpower training; with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in agro- ecosystems, comprehensive utilization of agricultural resources, and biological pest management; with the Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) and the Global Environmental Information Investigation System (INFOTERRA), both under UNEP, in the exchange of data and information on the monitoring of biodiversity; and, in the future, with other international or non- governmental organizations.
15.21 Scientific research on the protection of biodiversity and sustainable use:
- (a) China will perform surveys and investigations
on biota as a basis for preparing zoning and conservation planning to maintain
biodiversity in China. China is working to support studies on the composition
and geographical distribution of wildlife resources in China. China will
survey and systematically study the conditions, habitats, distributions,
populations, population trends and causes of population pressure, for endangered
species in China. The results of the survey, along with information used
to prepare the Red Book of Plants in China (Volume II and III) and the
Red Book of Animals in China (5 volumes, on mammals, birds, amphibians
and reptiles, fish, and invertebrates), will be used to revise the list
of wildlife to be strategically protected by the country and to draw up
a new conservation strategy and action plan. A list of sites and species,
which should receive priority attention for protection will be compiled,
on the basis of inventories of sites, surveys of plant and animal species
and intensive studies, which take into account ecosystem criteria, such
as representative indicators, scarcity, diversity and vulnerability, and
species criteria, such as specificity, scarcity and endangered status.
China will conduct surveys and investigations on biota living under extreme
environmental conditions, such as on plateaux, in deserts, deep water and
salt marshes. China will promote studies on the vertical distribution of
biodiversity in plateau (for example, the Tibetan Plateau) and on wild
relatives of domesticated animals and cultivated plants, and on the rational
development and scientific management of plant and animal resources;
(b) A technical study will be conducted on the conservation, sustainable use and management of biodiversity. China will promote studies of technologies for off-site conservation, of in vitro preservation, of the protection of biodiversity in traditional agriculture and pasture areas, of the conservation of medicinal plants and animal resources, of the conservation of aquatic resources, and on technologies for conserving other economically valuable resources. The study of technologies for sustainable use will focus on technologies for breeding valuable plant and wildlife species, technologies for the restoration of damaged ecosystems, and technologies for species diversification in artificial ecosystems. The study of theories, methodologies and technologies for the management of biodiversity should focus on the effective management of nature reserves, on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for development and construction projects, and on the development of ecologically-sound agriculture;
(c) Study and develop modern bio-techniques and evaluate the positive and negative effects of bio-technology on the protection of biodiversity and its risks;
(d) Apply and popularize technologies and experience gained in administering the protection of biodiversity.
15.22 China will apply the following models in developing a range of demonstration projects for the conservation and utilization of biodiversity:
- (a) Tourist Model: This type of project can be
carried out in nature reserves such as Mount Changbai, Mount Wuyi and Changli
Golden Beach. In terms of recreational tourism, the projects will include
establishing tourist routes, defining the carrying capacity for tourists
and establishing the necessary service and management facilities. Tourist
activities will be designed to offer education about the protection of
biodiversity so that public awareness of conservation issues can be raised
in the process of realizing economic benefits;
(b) Artificial breeding model: This is a relatively new type of model which uses living resourcesand in which steps are taken to conserve habitats and natural species by means of artificial reproduction. They will be established in the nature reserves, such as the Miaodao and the Yancheng. Wild species of plants and animals will be domesticated and artificially planting and breeding will be carried out, in accordance with the habits and characteristics of wildlife and local natural conditions. There will be subsequent increases in economic benefits;
(c) Model for the comprehensive utilization and intensive processing of living resources: Studying, developing and utilizing the multiple functions of biological resources, while ensuring their regeneration and an increase of biological resources, will increase the value of each item of the resource and subsequently lead to their limited harvest. This will achieve the goal of use combined with conservation. An example is the Snake Island Reserve.
15.23 Environmental education and technological training will produce groups of individuals capable of acting as environmental managers. Training will focus mainly on environmental legislation, administrative management, planning management, scientific research management and on the application of new technologies. The central government and local governments will be in charge of training managers at their respective levels.
15.24 Establishing bodies for the conservation of biodiversity, defining their functions and responsibilities and allowing an effective coordination between various bodies will help ensure organization of the national programme of biodiversity conservation. These bodies include:
- (a) Legislative bodies: The Standing Committee
of the National People's Congress has established a Committee for Environmental
and Resource Protection within its framework. The Standing Committees of
the People's Congresses of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities
directly under the central government, will also establish their own committees
on environmental protection;
(b) Administrative bodies: The proposed Office for the Protection of Biodiversity or the Coordinated Office for Implementing the Conservation of Biodiversity will be in charge of coordinating inter-agency activities, under the State Council's Commission on Environmental Protection. Local governments and the relevant ministries (or commissions or administrations) of the State Council will also establish their own offices for the protection of biodiversity;
(c) Management bodies: Each nature reserve will have a management body, the size of which will be authorized by the government. The proportion of scientists and technicians should be increased, and should comprise not less than 60% of the whole staff. The strength and quality of species breeding stations will be ensured by maintaining the proportion of scientists and technicians at no less than 75% of the whole staff. A research laboratory for the protection of biodiversity should be set up in each main zoological garden, aquarium and botanical garden;
(d) Scientific research institutions: The proposed Office of Biodiversity Conservation, to be under the State Council's Commission on Environmental Protection, should coordinate national scientific research on biodiversity and should plan to establish a national biodiversity monitoring centre and database. The office should establish open national research laboratories for the protection of biodiversity and research laboratories for the conservation of the rare and endangered plant and animal species. Furthermore, it should establish national biodiversity museums, including animal specimen collection centres, plant specimen collection centres, specimen centres for cultivated plant and domestic animal genetic resources, micro-organism specimen collection centres and fungus specimen collection centres;
(e) Non-governmental organizations: The Society for the Protection of Plants and Animals, the Association of Zoological Gardens, the Association for Botanical Gardens and others, will be active in promoting cooperation between various conservation lobbies and exchanges of manpower, technology, information and material resources.
15.25 Publicity and education on the protection of biodiversity will be promoted through the use of the media such as radio, television, movies, newspapers and journals. The media will also be used when launching public events, such as World Earth Day (22 April), Environment Day (5 June), Tree Planting Day, Bird Loving Week and Wildlife Conservation Month. Exhibitions, such as the China Conservation Exhibition, the Man and the Biosphere Exhibition and the Panda Exhibition will also be used to educate people about the importance of the protection of biodiversity. The protection of biodiversity can be also be promoted by adding sections on the conservation of biodiversity to textbooks for use in primary and middle schools, by increasing the courses relevant subject areas at universities and by mounting training course for managers and scientific workers.
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