The warning light of extinction has been surrounding the Chinese sturgeon in recent years. Since 2017, the natural reproduction of "giant pandas in the water" has not been monitored in China for 4 consecutive years.
Chinese sturgeon have been living on Earth for 150 million years. In the 1970s, there were nearly 10,000 Chinese sturgeon in the Yangtze River, which decreased to about 2,000 in the 1980s, and only 200-300 were left in the 1990s.
The way to "save" them is artificial breeding. The same approach has yielded results in giant pandas – with the rapid and high-quality growth of the number of captive-bred giant pandas, the level of threat of giant pandas has been reduced from "endangered" to "vulnerable", and the release into the wild has been achieved and successfully integrated into wild populations.
At the fifteenth meeting (COP15) of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, China announced the first list of five national parks. Among them, the "Giant Panda National Park" integrates multiple nature reserves and will provide a larger-scale ecosystem for giant pandas.
Yang Rui, dean of the National Park Research Institute at Tsinghua University, said biodiversity has three levels – genes, species and ecosystems. National parks are the protection of ecosystems, not the protection of individual species; but when ecosystems are protected, wild rare and endangered species are also protected.
Behind the proposal of "national parks" is a new expansion of the concept of endangered species protection. In the eyes of experts, the release of the first national parks is a milestone, but not the end.
In November 2020, the Giant Panda National Park Administration released a message saying that when the staff of the Ya'an Bee Barrel Zhai Area was sorting out the infrared camera data, they found a precious picture of wild giant panda mother and child in the same frame. Figure/IC photo
From common to endangered: extinction is a process
The history of endangered species protection in China can be traced back to 40 years ago.
On March 3, 1973, representatives of 80 countries agreed on the text of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) at a meeting in Washington, D.C., united states, aiming to promote the conservation and rational use of endangered wildlife resources by countries through the control and management of international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora and their products.
China acceded to the Convention in January 1981 and entered into force for China on 8 April of the same year. The following year, the relevant provisions were written into the Constitution.
Looking back at China's endangered species protection work, Zhang Yingyi, secretary general of the Quality Orchid Foundation for green poverty alleviation through the protection of endangered species, believes that it is basically synchronized with the reform and development that began in China from the 1970s to the 1980s.
Around 1984, elk, which had become extinct in the wild in China, returned to its homeland from britain. Measures such as donating or leasing giant pandas, crested ibises and golden snub-nosed monkeys to the outside world, and bringing foreign captive elk and wild horses back to China have directly promoted cooperation between China and developed countries in field investigation, habitat protection, breeding and rescue.
It was also during this period that China established the China Research Center for the Protection of Giant Pandas, and set up 14 wildlife rescue and breeding centers and more than 400 germplasm germplasm source bases for rare plants across the country.
Extinction is a process. Zeng Yan, a senior engineer at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said, "Species are not suddenly extinct, but the populations that make up it disappear one by one." Population extinction is one of the most sensitive indicators of biodiversity capital loss, but it is overlooked by many. ”
In a recently published paper, Zeng Yan mentioned that there are currently two main conservation paradigms for endangered species, one for declining populations and the other for small populations of rare species. Conservation efforts for declining populations can restore populations after the threat factors have been eliminated. However, the threat of extinction to small populations is often a random disaster, often difficult to predict, and only targeted conservation actions can help to avoid their extinction.
Taking the Chinese sturgeon as an example, Wei Qiwei, chief scientist of the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, believes that human activities such as river erosion, channel dredging and sand dredging, flood control and urban landscape engineering have caused the habitat of Chinese sturgeon to lose their habitat, which in turn has led to a decrease in supplementary groups, resulting in continuous shrinking of breeding groups. To save the Chinese sturgeon, it is necessary to restore the biological and natural characteristics of the artificial population, greatly enhance the scientific and effective artificial value-added release, improve the spawning farm environment, and restore its natural reproduction, so as to continue and restore the natural population of the Chinese sturgeon.
During cop15, at the Yangtze River Biodiversity Science Exhibition, a scroll map of the distribution of fish in the Yangtze River made by Wei Qiwei showed the living conditions of many rare species. Wei Qiwei introduced that aquatic organisms are facing a greater threat than terrestrial organisms, and many species are also in danger after the Yangtze River white dolphin, white sturgeon, anchovies, etc. disappear from the Yangtze River.
"Compared with animal protection in very small populations, plant protection actually has certain advantages. Because the conditions for animal protection are relatively more stringent. Yang Wenzhong, director of the Joint Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Forest Plant Protection and Breeding of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration and the Joint Key Laboratory of Forest Plant Cultivation and Development and Utilization in Yunnan Province, said that plants can adopt asexual propagation methods such as grafting, cuttings, strips, and plant separation, but the artificial intervention of animals is very limited, and some populations cannot guarantee continuation even after artificial intervention.
The key to protection is to allow them to reproduce
Yang Wenzhong's computer contains a data map of a plant, a local fruit called Fumin Citrus. Its native area is only the area around Laoqingshan in Fumin County, Central Yunnan Plateau, at an altitude of 2100 to 2400 meters. Locals often slice and dry the fruit of the rich people's citrus, make a bubble drink or cook soup, which has the effect of quenching thirst, so many farmers will move the rich people's orange in the mountain gap to their homes to plant.
In 2003 and 2018, Yang Wenzhong twice led the team to conduct a national survey of wild plants in very small populations, but no traces of wild Rich People's Citrus aurantium were found, "At that time, we proposed to declare that Rich People's Citrus aurantium had become extinct in the wild in its native land." In documents such as the Outline of the Plan for the Rescue and Conservation of Extremely Small Population Species in Yunnan Province (2010-2020), Fumin Citrus aurantium is listed as a priority rescue and protection of "wild plants of extremely small populations".
Yang Wenzhong said that researchers have found 8 "captive" rich citrus trees in farmers' homes. The few rich trees became the only source of breeding. Researchers are cautious, afraid of planting failure, and consciously control the number of transplants each time. Nowadays, technical personnel apply seed propagation, cuttings propagation and other technical research to cultivate more than 20,000 seedlings of Fumin citrus container, with a seed breeding survival rate of up to 90%, a cuttings survival rate of 50%, and a grafting survival rate of more than 70%.
Artificial breeding is one of the effective means of saving many endangered species.
In Qinghai, Qi Hongfang has spent 28 years guarding an endangered species, the naked carp of Qinghai Lake. Artificial breeding has become the key to protecting naked carp in Qinghai Lake.
Naked carp of Qinghai Lake. Figure/IC photo
"The original reserves of naked carp resources in Qinghai Lake are about 320,000 tons. With the increase of fishing intensity and the deterioration of the ecological environment, the resources were less than 3,000 tons at the end of the 1990s. Qi Hongfang is the director of the laboratory of the Qinghai Lake Naked Carp Rescue Center, she introduced that after entering the new century, the Qinghai Provincial Government has implemented the policy of zero fishing closed to qinghai lake and fish breeding, and carried out artificial breeding activities and the construction of fish crossing channels, and the resources of naked carp in Qinghai Lake have increased from 2600 tons in 2002 to 100,400 tons in 2020.
In terms of the protection of endangered species, Qi Hongfang believes that while establishing protected areas, it is necessary to strengthen the ecological monitoring of habitats in protected areas, use artificial measures to carry out artificial breeding, and accelerate the process of species restoration.
Similarly, plant breeding and reproduction has its own problems. If a seed wants to germinate and grow, it may also encounter two effects of "self-poisoning" and "environmental screening".
Yang Wenzhong said that "self-poisoning" is to prevent plants from encroaching on the limited living space of the plant body and self-screening out a batch of seeds; "environmental screening" is that the budding plant is difficult to bear environmental risks, and is automatically screened out by the environment during growth. This also makes it more difficult for wild plants, which are already rare, to reproduce.
In the case of the Yunnan blue fruit tree, there were only 8 trees and two populations left in the country when they were discovered. Yang Wenzhong and his colleagues established a seedling breeding base of 240 square meters, completed the research on breeding technology of both asexual and asexual seedlings, and successfully cultivated more than 3,000 blue fruit tree seedlings in Yunnan.
Yunnan blue fruit tree. Courtesy of respondents
Leave a way for endangered species to survive
In addition to artificial breeding, conservation measures such as in situ conservation, ex situ conservation, near-site conservation, and the establishment of protected areas also provide more possibilities for the protection of endangered species.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, so far, China has established 5 Yangtze River porpoise ex situ protection areas, and the total number of expat groups exceeds 150. "Ex situ conservation is currently the most effective and feasible way to protect the Yangtze River finless porpoise, and both the management department and the academic community have reached a consensus on this concept." Zhang Xianfeng, a researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said.
From a natural environment that is relatively difficult to control, migrating to a semi-natural environment that can be controlled, by improving "eating and living conditions", endangered species can recuperate. Zhang Xianfeng believes that the number of finless porpoises in ex situ reserves is stable and rising, which proves the role of ex situ conservation.
In recent years, China has established a number of protected areas and wetlands with ex situ protection properties. For example, Hubei Yangtze River SwanZhou Baiji Dolphin National Nature Reserve, Hubei Honghu Laowan Gudao, Anhui Anqing Xijiang and other porpoise ex-situ nature reserves and protection sites.
In the spring of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs organized the largest relocation protection operation, exporting a total of 19 Yangtze River finless porpoises from the Swan Zhou Ancient Road to 7 migration points. "With the increase in the number of finless porpoises in ex situ reserves, we should also consider making a good population management plan to avoid population decline caused by inbreeding, and we need to exchange individual finless porpoises in various protected areas." Zhang Xianfeng said.
With the development of the ten-year ban on fishing on the Yangtze River, fishery resources have been effectively restored, but factors affecting the survival of finless porpoises such as shipping, sand dredging, and water conservancy facilities still exist. Zhang Xianfeng frankly said that he hopes that after a few years, the number of Yangtze River finless porpoises protected by ex situ will reach a certain number, the natural environment of the main stream of the Yangtze River will be improved, and then the finless porpoises will return to the natural environment of the Yangtze River.
On October 8, 2021, the Yangtze River finless porpoise played in the waters of the dajiang river downstream of Gezhouba in Yichang City, Hubei Province. Figure/IC photo
In addition to the finless porpoise, the Chinese diagonal antelope, which inhabits the area around Qinghai Lake, is also facing difficulties. At the beginning of the last century, the Chinese diagonal antelope was widely distributed in Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Ningxia and Gansu. With the deterioration of the ecological environment and human factors, only more than 200 rare species once remained.
In April this year, the Qinghai Lake National Nature Conservation Administration announced the monitoring results for 2021, and more than 2,560 Chinese diagonal antelopes were monitored, and the population increased by about 9 times in 14 years.
"Now, we can see them on National Highway 315. The government once set aside 5,000 acres of grassland to build the Chinese Diagonal Antelope Conservation and Treatment Center, and due to the rise of the lake, the protection center was moved from Qinghai Lake Bird Island to the south side of Qinghai Lake, where there are now more than 70 diagonal antelopes. Ge Yuxiu, vice chairman of the Qinghai Photographers Association, said.
For a long time, herders' domestic sheep have competed with diagonal antelopes for grasslands and water sources, and facilities such as net fences over dense grasslands have also destroyed the living space of diagonal antelopes.
"I have personally witnessed the scene of the old and young diagonal antelope wandering helplessly because they could not cross the net fence, and I have also seen many diagonal antelopes hanging on the net fence." Ge Yuxiu once suggested that a compensation mechanism should be adopted to mobilize herders to lower the height of the net fence and remove the top spines.
Today, the net fence has been reduced from the past 1.5 meters to about 1.2 meters, which makes the Chinese diagonal antelope basically adapt. In addition, Qinghai has established 2 Special Protected Areas for Chinese Diagonal Antelope and 7 Drinking Water Ponds for Chinese Diagonal Antelope to solve the problem of winter drinking water for Diagonal Antelope.
The same goes for the protection of endangered plants. Yang Wenzhong said that the exploration of plant protection is such a logic: in situ protection system, to maximize the protection of wild populations; ex situ conservation system, laying the foundation for population restoration; near-site protection system, rapid preservation and expansion of population numbers; and finally explore the return to the wild to achieve population recovery and reconstruction.
Chinese diagonal antelope on the grassland of Qinghai Lake. Courtesy of respondents
The establishment of the national park is the first step of the "Long March"
On October 12, at the COP15 conference, the list of the first five national parks in China was announced. Lei Guangchun, a professor at the School of Ecology and Nature Conservation at Beijing Forestry University, said the construction of the national park takes into account the needs of animals for ecosystems, including the needs of animals for habitats and migration routes at different stages.
At present, the biggest problem facing wild animals is habitat fragmentation, and national parks emphasize the integrity and authenticity protection of ecosystems, so that the problem of habitat fragmentation can be effectively solved. For example, the Giant Panda National Park integrates many giant panda nature reserves, which greatly alleviates the problem of restrictions on the exchange of giant panda populations.
Lei Guangchun said that the release of the first batch of national parks is of landmark significance. "The first five parks are all mountain ecosystems, and the layout of wetland ecosystems and marine ecosystems needs to be considered in the future." He explained that the wetland system can protect cranes, rare fish, aquatic life and so on.
What other areas of China have the potential to build national parks in the future? Lei Guangchun believes that the State Forestry and Grassland Administration made a comparative systematic analysis in the early stage, and in more than 10,000 protected areas across the country, about 60 were selected according to the representativeness and spatial layout of the ecosystem, and they are still being further brewed.
Yang Rui, dean of the National Park Research Institute at Tsinghua University, said biodiversity has three levels – genes, species and ecosystems. As far as the national park itself is concerned, it is actually the protection of large-scale ecosystems, not the protection of individual species, but the ecosystem is well protected, and wild rare and endangered species will also be protected. "Although the Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park and the Giant Panda National Park are named after this species, they are still the protection of the habitat of the Siberian tiger, leopard and giant panda and the ecosystem in which they live."
In addition, he suggested that the national park comprehensively improve its governance capacity and set up a "park police" system. "The area of the national park is very large, for example, the Sanjiangyuan National Park is close to 200,000 square kilometers, and comprehensive law enforcement is needed in the park." He said that foreign "garden police" have comprehensive law enforcement powers, and some "garden police" have higher academic qualifications, and even have doctorates in biology and ecology, and they can carry out nature education while enforcing the law.
"I believe that the formal establishment of the first batch of national parks is the first step in the 'Long March', and the next step is how to get out of the road of national park governance with Chinese characteristics." Yang Rui said that Chinese populations, large density, national parks are also in the old and young border and poor areas, we must explore the governance model of harmonious coexistence between man and nature under the premise of ecological protection first, and combine ecological protection with the livelihood of the community to form a way of benign interaction.
After the results: scientific means need to respect nature
Since 2000, China has implemented 15 key wildlife rescue projects, including giant pandas, crested ibises, tigers, golden snub-nosed monkeys, and Yangtze crocodiles. At present, nearly 10,000 nature reserves of various types have been established in the country, accounting for about 18% of the land area. 90% of terrestrial ecosystem types, 65% of higher plant communities and 71% of national priority protected species of wild flora and fauna are effectively protected.
"Our current protection is not only a matter of poaching, but more importantly, it is more important to strengthen the protection of habitat." Zhou Haixiang, a member of the Chinese and Biosphere Expert Advisory Committee, believes that respecting nature with scientific means may be the best way to protect endangered species.
Understanding nature is the foundation, but there is still a certain deviation in human understanding of nature. For example, Zhou Haixiang said poyang lake is The largest freshwater lake and important wetland in China, as well as a wintering ground and resting place on the East Asian-Australian western migratory bird migration route. Every autumn and winter, Poyang Lake will enter a dry period, but in fact, Poyang Lake will have a longer periodic dry period.
"We can't build dams and locks as soon as we encounter a long period of dry water, which will seriously affect the hydrological conditions of Poyang Lake in winter and bring harm to the migration and roost of migratory birds." In Zhou Haixiang's view, in the protection of habitats, the protection awareness and behavior of "no construction" are particularly important.
In addition, artificially attracting and retaining birds by planting crops or feeding is also a practice against the laws of nature. "It's like the ecosystem of this place can only accommodate 500 birds, deliberately feeding corn and planting lotus roots to bring the number of birds to 1,000, which is meaningless, it fundamentally destroys the balance between species."
In nature, species are interconnected. Multiple species form a stable biome, and the reason for the formation has several theoretical explanations internationally: one is a neutral theory of random natural generation, and the other is the result of ecological niche selection of plant height collocation.
As a botanist, Yang Wenzhong believes that the exchange of information between plants cannot be ignored, "whether it is through the exchange of volatile substances or other substances, there is a 'language' between plants." Yang Wenzhong said that from the perspective of biodiversity conservation, one species is missing a communicator, and the protection of a very small population seems to only protect a certain species, but in fact, it is protecting the natural ecosystem and protecting our living environment.
Zhou Haixiang believes that only by respecting nature, conforming to nature, and protecting nature can people learn to live in harmony with animals and nature.
Beijing News reporter Zhang Jianlin Zhang Lu Ma Jinqian
Edited by Bai Shuang Proofreader Liu Baoqing