Ibises, endangered rare birds found only in China, will benefit
from several new protection areas in addition to their one current
reserve in Yangxian County, in Northwest China's Shaanxi
Province.
A trial project aimed at sending the birds to different reserves
is underway in order to better protect the rare birds from sudden
disasters, such as large scale epidemic disease, water pollution
and dangerous weather which could send the birds into extinction if
the disaster were to strike their only habitat, said Duan Xiaohui,
an official with Shaanxi Provincial Forestry Bureau.
The project is being organized by the State Forestry Bureau
which has been striving to find new ways to better protect the rare
birds since 2001. The project calls for six new protected habitats
for the birds located in eastern Zhejiang, central Henan and
northwestern Gansu provinces and in northern, central and southern
Shaanxi.
Duan said all the new habitats for the rare birds will be built
in zones with dense forests, varied vegetation, rivers and natural
and artificial wetlands.
"The Tongchuan trial zone for the birds on the Weibei Tableland
in northern Shaanxi, which has been approved by Shaanxi Provincial
Forestry Bureau, for instance, is a place with all conditions above
mentioned," the provincial forestry official said.
With a total area of 750 square kilometers, there are dense
forests, rivers and wetlands in the new reserve for the rare birds
in Weibei Tableland, and there are also some other big birds, such
as black storks and herons who need the similar living conditions
as ibises, the official said.
At present, Shaanxi has decided on three other locations in the
province to build new habitat areas for the ibises, and has
delivered an investigation report to the State Forestry Bureau. "If
the report is approved, the project can be carried out later next
month," Duan said.
According to the project plan, every new reserve will receive
six pairs of the rare birds artificially bred by Shaanxi Louguantai
Wild Animal Breeding and Protection Center.
"These birds will be sent to the wild in the newly built habitat
areas after a period of artificial rearing and training for wild
living, and at the same time, protection outposts will be
established in the proposed habitat areas," the forest official
said.
The ibis, a rare water bird with white feathers and a red head,
used to be seen in China, Russia, the Korea Peninsula, and Japan.
However, since the 1970s the bird has not been spotted in these
places except China. It is one of the most endangered birds in the
world.
In May 1981, Chinese scientists found seven ibises that had
reproducing capacity and two nests in Yangxian County, Shaanxi
Province. A reserve was soon built to protect the rare birds in the
county.
After a 23-year effort made by central and local governments and
scientists, the number of the birds has increased from seven to
over 500 in Yangxian.
(China Daily August 14, 2004)