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Protecting China’s Wildlife: An Eternal Topic

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At 10 pm on July 3, 2013, 32 captive-bred crested ibises were released into the wild in the Liulin Forestry Farm in Yaozhou District, Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province. It marked the first time so many ibises have been returned to their natural environment north of the Qinling Mountains, an important geographical boundary in China. The move aims to restore the ibises’ natural habitat and revive its population. It is one of numerous measures that the government has taken to protect China’s wildlife, safeguard the environment, and carry out international obligations.

China is among the countries that are home to the richest species of wild animals. This abundance is a precious natural resource, a gift from Mother Nature. However, human interference in the shape of environmental pollution caused by China’s rapid development poses an unprecedented problem for wildlife protection. As its biodiversity threatens to thin out, China, as a developing country, faces even greater challenges today. For a long time, the government has paid close attention to wildlife and made unremitting efforts, listing wildlife protection on its ecological civilization construction plan.

As early as 1950, the Chinese government issued a scheme for protecting rare animals, and set out to establish the first group of nature reserves in 1956. After 1978, when the nation adopted the policies of opening-up and reform, it accelerated the pace of wildlife protection. china joined the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1981, and issued its own wildlife Protection Law in 1988. Moving into the 21st century, China allocated billions of yuan to protecting wild animals, plants and forests, constructing nature reserves, converting farmland to forestry, and restoring wetlands. In the past 30 years, China has accomplished a great deal in wildlife protection.

Monitoring data of the last decade show that the downward trend in numbers of endangered, terrestrial animals has been halted, and that cur- rent figures remain stable. Such has been the success of wildlife protection initiatives that a group of extremely endangered, terrestrial wild animals has actually been saved from extinction.

Recognizing that protecting wildlife is not just a national issue, the Chinese government is equally serious about fulfilling its obligations to international wildlife protection. Its affiliations with CITES, the Ramsar Convention (an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands) and the Convention on Biological Diversity is testament to its commitment. China has signed cooperative agreements with the U.S., Japan, Australia, Russia, India, and South Korea. It has also implemented a series of international cooperation projects, and supported other countries’ activities in this regard. In early 2013, China participated in Operation Cobra, a project that brought together the police, customs and wildlife officers of over 20 countries to fight against illegal trade in endangered animals and plants. The operation created an opportunity for Chinese wildlife authorities to establish a new professional relationship with their counterparts in other countries and make a collective contribution to international wildlife protection.

Yet, evidence shows that there are still many wild animals in China on the brink of extinction; some not listed as key protected species are decreasing in numbers, which implies the need for a revised list of wildlife under special state protection. But is that enough? Overfishing and overhunting, in some cases for food, still widely exist. The natural habitats of wild animals are encroached upon, polluted or fragmented, and conflicts between humans and animals break out constantly. Despite efforts, it’s clear that there is a long way for China to go to overcome these challenges and solve the problems facing its wildlife.