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Did you know that the Yangtze River is not only the mother river of China, but also the only river in the world that has two species of cetaceans! One of them is the Yangtze finless porpoise, which is known as the "spirit of the water." [Rose]
But this beautiful and mysterious creature is under serious threat, and their numbers have dwindled to alarming levels and are declining at a rate of 6% per year.
01
Man and nature coexist in harmony
The core idea of the MAB Programme is to advocate the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. This concept is not only a theoretical discussion, but also a practical guiding principle.
The conservation of the Yangtze finless porpoise is a concrete practice of this concept, as the survival of the finless porpoise, as a representative of aquatic biodiversity, is directly related to the health of the entire ecosystem.
Looking back at the history of the Yangtze finless porpoise conservation, we can clearly see its development. At first, not enough attention was paid to the protection of the finless porpoise.
With the passage of time, although people's awareness has increased, practical action still lags behind theoretical understanding, and later, people began to actively participate in the practical work of finless porpoise conservation, rather than just staying in words.
Now, people are taking the initiative to seek professional conservation advice, discuss and formulate protection measures, marking a new stage in the conservation of the Yangtze finless porpoise.
Since 1993, China's network of biosphere reserves has grown from 45 to 200, including 34 World Biosphere Reserves.
These protected areas are located in all corners of the country and have played an irreplaceable role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem and protecting biodiversity, especially in the protection of the Yangtze finless porpoise.
The significance of the Yangtze finless porpoise conservation goes far beyond the scope of a single species, it reveals the role and responsibility of humans in the biosphere, and as the creator and solver of environmental problems, humans need to be aware of their own impact and responsibility on the earth's ecosystem.
Over the past few decades, humans have never flinched in the face of environmental problems, but have actively sought solutions, and for endangered animal researchers and conservationists, they need to pay attention not only to the species itself, but also to its habitat, food chain, and other aspects. This is a daunting task that requires sustained effort and commitment.
The uniqueness of the Earth and the Biosphere is incomparable in the vast universe, and among the many planets, only the Earth has given birth to life and formed such a rich and colorful ecosystem, and the future development of mankind must be built on the basis of harmonious coexistence with the biosphere, only in this way can we ensure the continued health and stability of the Earth's ecosystem.
Poyang Lake, for example, is not only rich in aquatic biological resources, but also has a unique wetland ecosystem, and through reasonable protection and management measures, the Poyang Lake area has successfully achieved the goal of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
Here, people can see the birds flying in the air, the fish swimming in the water and the finless porpoise living in harmony, which is exactly the ideal state of harmony between man and nature.
02
The lesson of the baiji dolphin
The Yangtze River and the Amazon River were once known for their species diversity, and were once home to two unique freshwater cetaceans, the baiji dolphin and the finless porpoise.
The baiji dolphin, known as the "giant panda in the water", has become an indispensable part of the Yangtze River ecosystem due to its noble qualities and harmony with the natural environment.
Unfortunately, since 2006, the baiji dolphin has not been found by humans for nearly 20 years and was finally declared functionally extinct, marking a major blow to the biodiversity of the Yangtze River.
At the same time, the Yangtze finless porpoise, another treasure of the Yangtze River, is also in danger of extinction, with more than 2,700 in the wild in the 90s, but by 2006 that number had plummeted to more than 1,800.
After six years of change, when researchers re-surveyed the Yangtze River, they found that the finless porpoise population had plummeted to 1,045, and more worryingly, the population of the finless porpoise had become extremely dispersed, leaving the species critically endangered.
Faced with the dilemma of a drastic decline in the number of finless porpoises, researchers have tried to find its close relatives in the hope of increasing its population through breeding, and they initially set their sights on the finless porpoises in the ocean, believing that they may be distant relatives of the Yangtze finless porpoise, hoping to bring a ray of life to the species' reproduction.
Although researchers had hoped to restore the Yangtze finless porpoise population by finding finless porpoises in the ocean as close relatives, in-depth studies have shown that there are significant genetic, physiological and morphological differences between finless porpoises and those in the ocean.
This means that there is reproductive isolation between the two, and it is not possible to increase the population of the Yangtze finless porpoise through breeding, a finding that has necessitated a re-examination of strategies to protect this endangered species.
One of them is the destruction of the living environment, which is being damaged by water pollution, illegal sand mining, and drastic changes in the hydrological and geographical conditions of tributary lakes in the Yangtze River basin.
Overfishing and illegal fishing activities also have a serious impact on the finless porpoise's food sources, and pollution and other anthropogenic factors continue to affect the finless porpoise's survival.
The conservation of the finless porpoise is urgent, and each of us should recognize the importance of protecting the finless porpoise and take action, so that we can work together to protect this precious natural heritage and ensure that the future of the Yangtze River remains full of vitality and vitality.
03
Damage taken
The functional extinction of the baiji dolphin is not accidental, but the result of a combination of factors, and the overfishing of the Yangtze River fish population has led to a reduction in the baiji dolphin's food source, which is undoubtedly a fatal blow to the picky baiji dolphin.
Excessive human exploitation and pollution have posed a huge threat to the survival of the baiji dolphin. Statistics show that 12 baiji dolphins were killed by the propellers of the boats, and another 29 were killed by mistakenly entering fishing gear, accounting for 48.8% of the total deaths.
Like the baiji dolphin, the finless porpoise faces serious survival challenges, and as the apex predator in the Yangtze River, the finless porpoise has also been severely affected by human activities.
Illegal fishing uses such as roller hooks and ecstasy traps, which not only lead to the death of a large number of fish, but also bring great harm to the finless porpoise.
Human vessel noise interferes with the echolocation of finless porpoises, sometimes causing them to be accidentally injured or even killed by propellers, while chemical sewage and pesticide pollution on both sides of the Yangtze River pose a serious threat to the survival of finless porpoises.
Faced with the existential crisis of baiji and finless porpoises, the government and various social groups have begun to take action, for example, the mainland government has implemented a fishing ban on the entire Yangtze River basin to reduce the harm caused by fishing operations.
Scientists are also actively exploring other conservation measures, such as in situ conservation, relocation and artificial breeding. Public participation and support are also crucial, and it is only when everyone takes action that we can create a better environment for these rare aquatic mammals.
Although the baiji dolphin has become functionally extinct, we still have hope for their future, maybe one day, through our joint efforts, the baiji dolphin can reappear in the Yangtze River, let us work together, for the baiji dolphin, for the finless porpoise, but also for our common home - the earth.
04
Protective measures
Since 2006, the Yangtze finless porpoise population has declined at an alarming rate, falling by as much as 13.7% in 2012, and without immediate action, the Yangtze finless porpoise could follow in the footsteps of the baiji dolphin in the next decade.
In order to save this species, the mainland government and relevant scientific research teams have taken decisive action to resolutely prevent the Yangtze finless porpoise from becoming extinct.
The threats to the Yangtze finless porpoise are mainly due to human activities, including illegal and overfishing, water pollution, sand mining operations, and habitat degradation due to busy shipping.
The 2006 expedition revealed the severe ecological crisis faced by the Yangtze finless porpoise, prompting the Ministry of Agriculture to convene an emergency meeting to implement the "Seed Conservation" project, the core of which is to implement natural ex situ conservation and carry out research on captivity and breeding.
As early as 1990, the research team began an ex situ conservation attempt to relocate the first batch of five Yangtze finless porpoises to the Tianezhou Ancient Road in Jingzhou, Hubei Province.
Formed in 1972 by natural water erosion or artificial bending, the ecological environment is very similar to that of the Yangtze River, making it an ideal ex-situ conservation site, and through unremitting efforts, the number of Yangtze finless porpoises in the Tianezhou Ancient Road has steadily increased, reaching 60 in 2015 and 101 in 2021, becoming a successful model of ex situ conservation of cetaceans in the world.
However, the risks of a single protected area cannot be ignored, and the research team proposed a plan to establish a network of ex situ protected areas to reduce the risk of disease and inbreeding.
In 2015, the research team introduced the first batch of Yangtze finless porpoises from Poyang Lake, and in the same year, more individuals were introduced from Tianezhou, and now, the number of Yangtze finless porpoises in Hewangmiao Ancient Road is close to 40, showing the great success of the ex situ conservation strategy.
At the 2019 International Conference on Ex Situ Conservation Progress and Implications of the Yangtze Finless Porpoise held in Wuhan, global experts visited the Hewangmiao Ancient Road Conservation Area and praised the mainland's achievements in protecting the Yangtze finless porpoise.
Up to now, the mainland has successfully established three natural and one semi-natural ex situ conservation populations, with more than 160 Yangtze finless porpoises breeding here, and more than 15 newborns of Yangtze finless porpoises are born every year.
The 2008 southern freeze disaster had a severe impact on the Yangtze finless porpoise in the old road of Tianezhou, which had to breathe out of the water, and the sudden ice seal posed a huge threat to it.
Many finless porpoises were injured or even killed while trying to breathe through the ice, prompting researchers to reflect deeply and strengthen their resolve to establish more protected areas.
In addition, the protection measures in the Dongting Lake basin have also provided a strong guarantee for the survival of the Yangtze finless porpoise, and the area strictly prohibits sand dredging, and strengthened fishery management, so that the finless porpoise population has gradually recovered.
After more than 30 years of exploration, the research team finally made a breakthrough in 2005 and 2018 respectively, successfully breeding two artificial finless porpoises.
At present, the number of Yangtze finless porpoises in the Tianezhou Nature Reserve has increased to 101, and some individuals have been relocated to Honghu Laowan Ancient Road and other places. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the migration, the research team has established strict migration requirements, such as the lactating mother finless porpoise and the young are not allowed to migrate, and a detailed "family pedigree" is established to record the whereabouts of each finless porpoise.
Rangers play a vital role in day-to-day management, monitoring agricultural activities, preventing illegal fishing, and through advocacy and conservation efforts, turning local fishermen into rangers to protect the Yangtze finless porpoise's living environment.
At the same time, modern scientific and technological means are also widely used in the protection of the Yangtze finless porpoise, such as setting up intelligent monitoring systems and using drones to patrol to ensure real-time grasp of the dynamic changes in the surrounding environment, water quality and water level.
Despite this, the Yangtze finless porpoise is still critically endangered, according to the latest data, the number of Yangtze finless porpoises has rebounded to 1,249 for the first time, but the overall population is still not optimistic. #文章首发挑战赛#
Resources
[1] Hangzhou.com Tide Sound丨Finless Porpoise Homecoming: Changes in the Yangtze River Ecology_Hangzhou.com
[2] Overseas Network The population of finless porpoises in the Yangtze River Ancient Road in Tianezhou, Hubei Province increased from 5 to 101 https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1709864136583470635&wfr=spider&for=pc
[3] Shangguan News The population of the Yangtze finless porpoise has historically stopped falling and rebounded, but the critically endangered situation has not changed
[4] CPPCC Network: Strengthen protection and let aquatic wildlife continue to thrive - CPPCC Network
[5] Wuhan released that the last baiji dolphin ever seen by mankind passed away for 20 years: "the goddess of the Yangtze River" is hard to find, and the "smiling angel" appears frequently https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1738348325617675076&wfr=spider&for=pc
[4] Jingchu Net From 5 to 101 heads, 30 years of finless porpoise protection, Hubei wrote the world's only cetacean ex situ conservation legend-Jingchu Net-Hubei Daily