Protecting Wild Animals Is Protecting Ourselves

Extinction is irreversible. Once a species is gone， it’s not coming back（barring some Jurassic Park-like scientific development）. Extinction has wide-ranging ramifications for the ecosystem and biodiversity. Many species are affected by the disappearance of one. Sometimes the effects are foreseeable – most of the time they are not. Ensuring that all species have the chance to thrive free of human interference is paramount to ecological conservation， and doing so will also benefit humanity.

These are the core messages of a recent interview with Zhao Shucong， director of the State Forestry Administration that leads China’s wildlife protection efforts. Excerpts from the interview are below：

China Today： Life has survived on earth for about 3.6 billion years. Over the last half a billion years there have been five big extinctions. It is said we are now living through a sixth， and that this time it’s man-made. We are losing perhaps dozens of species every day – somewhere between 1，000 and 10，000 times the “background” average rate. What is your view on this？

Zhao Shucong： According to research by scientists， biodiversity reached its peak roughly 30，000 years ago. Since then， the development of human societies， and especially the industrial revolution， has wreaked havoc on the environment around us. There used to be 7.6 billion hectares of forest globally； today there are less than 3.4 billion hectares， and the total drops one percent a year. The forests that are home to the most diversity – the tropical rain forests – grow smaller by 180，000 hectares yearly. The world’s wetland ecosystems， like the forests， have been hard-hit by humans.

Meanwhile， man-made environmental pollution has been rising rapidly. In recent years， the poaching of wild animals and illegal trade in such things as ivory and bear paw has been rampant. Blackmarket operators pull in tens of billions of dollars each year. After drugs and the arms trade， the illegal wildlife and animal parts trade is the world’s thirdlargest smuggling activity.

Such activities threaten the breeding and safety of all the world’s wild animals. It is estimated that over the past 1，600 years， 83 species of mammals and 113 species of birds have gone extinct. Nearly 800 species of wild animal are on the verge of disappearing for good. For instance， the iconic wild tiger， which once roamed across much of Eurasia， numbered around 100，000 in 1900. There are less than 3，500 remaining in the wild today.

Having realized that mass extinctions are underway， human beings have to engage in conservation efforts. The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora（CITES）， signed in 1973， the Ramsar Convention（the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance， especially on Waterfowl Habitat） of 1975， the Convention on Biological Diversity （CBD） of 1992 and others have been adopted globally and enjoy wide support. protecting nature and its resources has been an imperative for all countries. They realize the key to a sustainable future is protecting what we have now.

China Today： Where humans are concerned， development often means producing and consuming more and more things. Is this antithetic to nature conservation？ How does China view conservation efforts in light of the importance the country places on improving the lives of its citizens？ In general， what conservation measures exist in China and how have they been faring？

Zhao Shucong： The ecosystem knows no na-tional borders. As a developing country that takes responsibilities for nature conservation， China sticks to its international obligations. As early as 1950， the Chinese government issued the Measures for the Protection of Rare Biological Species. In 1956， the first batch of nature reserves was set up. Since the opening-up and reforms of the early 1980s， protection work has stepped up a notch.

Chinese people have been devoted to the cause with much passion. Many NGOs， such as the China wildlife Conservation Association， public figures and volunteers have all participated in raising donations and bringing public awareness to environmental causes. News media have been admirable in publicizing knowledge of the issues and spreading awareness of the laws on protecting wild animals. Ordinary citizens living in conservation zones， forests， and areas home to wild animals have also taken part in protection programs.

With such nationwide efforts， many land animals at risk have recovered their numbers. Seriously en- dangered species have been brought back from the brink of extinction. Habitats have been identified， protected and even expanded. Today， for instance， there are 1，596 giant pandas living in the wild. An additional 268 are in artificial breeding programs. The crested ibis， once thought to be extinct， was rediscovered in 1981 in the wild. There were only seven birds left. Now they number 1，700. At the turn of the millennium 12 to 16 Amur tigers remained； today there are between 18 and 22 and they are benefiting from protection policies. The Yangtze alligator now numbers more than 10，000； in the 1980s there were only about 300 in the whole river. About 200，000 Tibetan antelopes live on the plateau as of 2013， up from 60，000-70，000 15 years ago. Wild horses and the milu deer， almost extinct in the past， can now be spotted in large herds in the wild.

China Today： What specific measures has the Chinese government， and the Forestry Administration in particular， taken to protect the country’s wildlife？

Zhao Shucong： We have taken many measures. We have established comprehensive laws and rules， such as the Wildlife Conservation Law， the Forestry Law， the Administrative Regulations for Nature Reserves， Regulations on the Import and Export of Rare Wild Fauna and Flora， and others. The basic aim of all these measures is to protect China’s fauna and ensure it is free of harmful human influence.

Management links between the central government， provinces， cities and counties have been strengthened. Protection stations have been set up in most wild animal habitats. Teams have carried out supervisory protection with support from the forestry， law enforcement， customs and industrial and commercial sectors.

We have been protecting and expanding habitats. There are 2，150 forestry nature reserves， which account for fully 13 percent of China’s territory. Forty-one wetlands， 483 wetland parks and 2，850 forest parks protect 85 percent of the nation’s wild animal groupings. RMB 400 billion has been spent on expanding the forest and reclaiming habitats. Concerning infrastructure and urban construction， wildlife habitats have been strictly protected. On construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway， for instance， 33 passage tunnels were built under the rail track so as not to interfere with the migration of the Tibetan antelope. The Simao-Xiaomengyang Expressway in Yunnan Province was built to skirt around Wild Elephant Valley in Xishuangbanna， a reserve where tourists can get up close to the biggest land mammal on the planet.

We have also concentrated on rescuing endangered species with artificial breeding and sending them back to nature. Bases， zoos and wildlife re-serves have been set up with this express purpose in mind. More than 230 endangered wild animal species have benefited from artificial breeding. The milu deer， wild horse， crested ibis， Yangtze alligator and another 14 artificially bred species have been successfully released into the wild. Each year 300，000 to 400，000 wild animals are rescued or helped.

China has also carried out its international obligations in protecting wild animals. It has participated in international organizations and signed the CITES， the Ramsar Convention and the CBD framework with the U.S.， Japan， Australia， Russia， India， and the Republic of Korea for more cooperation. It has emphasized its stance of supporting other countries in protecting wildlife.

It should also be mentioned that animal welfare has been improved， and artificial breeding is better regulated. There are now stricter standards of administration and control of natural resource consumption. Supervision has been strengthened to punish poachers， smugglers and those who mistreat animals. Conditions in zoos， rescue centers and breeding sites have been improved. China’s animals in captivity now live in conditions comparable to those in developed countries.

China Today： Are there improvements still to be made in the field？

Zhao Shucong： China’s involvement in protecting wildlife is vital for global biodiversity. The international community has placed high expectations on China. We still have a long way to fully meeting these expectations. There are many wild animals close to extinction. The number of fauna not ranked as nationally protected has been decreasing. The hunting， smuggling and illegal trading of wildlife products remains a problem. Human settlements continue to encroach upon wildlife habitats， and the pollution situation could be much improved. The country needs to strike a better balance between protection and development. More and more conflicts between human beings and wildlife emerge. Tackling these issues requires time and effort.

From now on， building an eco-friendly China should be taken into consideration at the top level of policymaking in order to better balance people’s livelihood， protection， breeding and the rational utilization of resources.

In terms of concrete goals， we need to better protect species on the verge of extinction through more comprehensive regulation. Habitat protection is key to stopping the loss of species and gene pool variety. Rescuing endangered animals， breeding and sending them back to nature is the key to expanding numbers.

More broadly， all wildlife needs to be protected. Combining protection with eco-projects should aim to regulate legal hunting activities and stop illegal hunting entirely.

Another key issue is applying stricter epidemic disease monitoring and control systems. Setting up greater numbers of monitoring stations equipped with comprehensive disease control and prevention systems and trained personnel to respond to emergency outbreaks in a timely manner should be a policy goal here.

China could also step up cooperation with other countries to better carry out its responsibilities and obligations， and voice its concerns.

Spreading awareness of animal protection among the general public is a long-term goal. This could start with better publicizing laws on the treatment of animals. NGOs， volunteers， the media and enterprises should all join the government in the drive to educate the public. Once there is greater awareness of the issues， the future will start to look brighter.