China has rich biodiversity, boasting the world's largest number
of bird species and gymnosperm varieties. But China's biodiversity
is faced with a critical situation: 15 to 20 percent of higher
plant varieties are endangered, threatening the existence of 40,000
species of organisms related with them.?
As one of the earliest contracting countries to the Convention on
Biological Diversity, China has been active in international
affairs concerning the Convention and vocal on important issues
related to biodiversity. China is also one of the few countries to
complete the Convention's action plans. The China Action Plan for
Biodiversity Conservation, implemented in 1994, provided rules and
regulations for many eco-environmental protection activities.
According to the Law on the Protection of Wildlife, the highest
punishment for crimes of damaging wildlife resources is the death
penalty.?
Emphasizing effective protection of biological resources,
government departments have built and commissioned facilities for
preserving genetic resources. In January 2003, the Chinese Academy
of Sciences initiated a project to save endangered plants; its aims
are to increase plant varieties under the protection of its 12
affiliated botanic gardens from 13,000 to 21,000 within 15 years,
and to build a botanic garden covering a total area of 458 sq km,
the world's largest. The project involves over 300 million yuan
investment into collection of rare and endangered plants, and the
building of gene banks, with the Qinling Mountains, Wuhan,
Xishuangbanna and Beijing as the centers.?
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To help save endangered wildlife, 250 wildlife breeding centers
have been established throughout the country, and special projects
conducted to protect seven species, including the giant panda and
red ibis. Giant panda numbers have risen from 1,100 to over 1,500
and their conditions continued to improve. The red ibis population
has increased from seven to over 560, relieving that bird's
endangered situation. The population of artificially bred Chinese
alligators is nearly 10,000. The population of Eld's deer has
increased from 26 to more than 800. The population of relic gulls
has increased from 2,000 to more than 10,000. Sightings of tigers,
rarely seen in recent times, have been reported in northeastern,
eastern and southern parts of China. In the field of freshwater
dolphin studies, China's scientific research on white-flag dolphins
leads the world and research on artificial breeding of white-flag
dolphins has accelerated. The Tibetan antelope population, which
had shrunk sharply because of poaching, has now stabilized at
around 70,000 thanks to persistent combat against poaching, in
cooperation with many international animal protection
organizations.
In August 2003, with the approval of the State Council, the State
Environmental Protection Administration and 16 relevant departments
established the Joint Meeting of Biological Species Resources
Protection to coordinate and strengthen the protection work of the
biological species resources; at the same time, the National Expert
Commission on the Protection of Biological Species Resources
composed of 17 experts was formed.
