This afternoon, the Information Office of the Provincial Government held a press conference on the 2020 Communiqué on the State of The Ecological Environment of Zhejiang Province and the work of biodiversity conservation in Zhejiang Province.
Zhejiang is a province rich in biodiversity.
The forest coverage rate is among the highest in the country, and offshore and coastal wetlands are important habitats and transit points for bird migration.
There are 790 species of terrestrial wild vertebrates in the province, accounting for about 30% of the national total;
There are about 5500 species of higher plants, which occupy an important position in the flora of southeast China.
Yeosu tree frog
Hairless honeysuckle
Eurasian otter
Fengyang mountain pods
In 2020, Zhejiang handed over a high-score report on ecological environmental protection.
"China will host the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) this year to discuss with countries a new strategy for global biodiversity governance.
Zhejiang has taken active actions, taking the background survey of biodiversity in 29 key areas as the starting point, gradually improving the biodiversity conservation system, actively promoting public participation, and comprehensively promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, and has made remarkable progress in various work, and a number of new species and new records have been continuously discovered, creating Zhejiang characteristics and Zhejiang experience.
Zhejiang has mainly achieved "five prominences"
Highlight the top-level design and improve the relevant plans
From the 2012 Zhejiang Provincial Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan, to the Huangshan-Huaiyushan and Wuyishan Biodiversity Conservation Priority Areas (Zhejiang Part), from the 2020 Zhejiang Provincial Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation Implementation Plan to this year's Action Plan for Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation in the Eight Major Water Systems and Coastal Waters, Zhejiang has always adhered to the strategic planning first.
Highlight ecological creation and strictly control ecological space
The first in the country to draw ecological protection redlines. The construction of ecological province took the lead in passing the national assessment and acceptance among the 16 pilot provinces in the country. In 2019, the assessment results of the pollution prevention and control battle were excellent in the country. The province has created a total of 25 national ecological civilization construction demonstration cities and counties, and 8 "green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains" practice and innovation bases, ranking first in the country. The Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment was awarded the "Green China Person of the Year".
Highlight the linkage between the upper and lower levels, and comprehensively find out the background of resources
Carry out biodiversity surveys and assessments in key areas, fully implement the biodiversity surveys and assessments of the Wuyishan Biodiversity Priority Area (Zhejiang part) and 29 key areas, and complete the first phase of the background survey by the end of 2021. Last year and this year, 1 new global species was discovered in Zhejiang, and 263 new species were recorded in Zhejiang.
Highlight the first to try, and innovate the protection work mechanism
Support Lishui City's overall and systematic planning of biodiversity conservation, and promote the formation of a standardized, standardized and institutionalized urban model for biodiversity conservation. Haishu District of Ningbo City adopts the "1+M" model to create a biodiversity science education and research travel route with 1 experience hall and multiple on-site experiences. Not long ago, Jinhua Pan'an County also officially launched the pilot construction of Zhejiang's first biodiversity-friendly city.
Highlight public participation and widely carry out science popularization
Provincial, municipal and county levels have carried out the "5.22" series of theme activities. In March this year, the Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment launched the "Protect Biodiversity and Build a Beautiful Zhejiang" prize collection activity. At the same time, the "Sixth Five-Year Plan" World Environment Day theme activities will be held in Lishui on June 3.
In the next step, Zhejiang will further implement a series of biodiversity conservation projects to further promote the investigation and assessment of biodiversity in key areas:
Further improve biodiversity conservation networks and continuously improve ecosystem quality and stability;
Further accelerate the digital reform in the field of environmental protection, and comprehensively improve the level of ecosystem protection and regulatory informatization;
Further deepen the special action to supervise the "Green Shield" nature reserves, and protect and improve the habitat of the organisms;
Further carry out various forms of interesting publicity and education activities to raise the public's awareness of biodiversity conservation.
Through all-round, all-form, full-chain and provincial work, we will strive to create a harmonious and co-existing modernization between man and nature, and lay a solid foundation for the high-level construction of a beautiful Zhejiang in the new era.
What are the new findings in this background survey of biodiversity in key areas of Zhejiang Province?
The background survey on biodiversity in priority areas, which began in 2019, has the following important results:
New species and a number of species that have not been seen for many years have been discovered
A total of 2 new global species were found in the province, namely the Baishan ancestral horned toad and the Taishun flat wax cicada, and 65 species were newly recorded in China (64 species of macrofunges and 1 species of sedge family). Species such as the Eurasian otter (tǎ), the honeysuckle, the Chinese partridge (zhè gū), and the great eagle (kuáng) have been rediscovered in the province for decades. The national second-level protected insect Yangcai Arm Golden Turtle was declared extinct in 1982 and was rediscovered in Baishanzu National Park in this survey.
Hundred Mountains Ancestral Horned Toad
A number of national key protection and rare and endangered wild animals and plants have been recorded one after another
Higher plants such as Bole tree, lettuce, southern yew, etc., and rare species of vertebrates such as black chamois, ocelot cat, yellow-bellied horned pheasant and so on have been recorded. Songyang County, Lishui City, found that 300 national second-level protected plants- long-order elm, are the largest wild population of long-order elm in China. These important findings show that Zhejiang's forest ecosystem is well protected and contains valuable biodiversity resources.
Endangered species such as the Chinese pangolin have been documented many times
The infrared camera set up in Wuyanling, Taishun County, Wenzhou City, has captured the figure of Chinese pangolins 7 times.
A number of species with high public attention were recorded and attracted widespread attention
For example, the world's smallest dragonfly, the pygmy red dragonfly, was found in Taishun County. The background survey of Yeosu biodiversity also found many rare insects.
What work has Zhejiang Province done to protect the "mythical bird" Chinese crested tern, and how effective has it been?
Chinese crested tern
Zhejiang has implemented the action plan for the rescue and protection of rare and endangered wild animals and plants, identified 29 rare and endangered species (categories), and carried out the off-site protection of crested ibises, the release of Yangzi crocodiles, the expansion of the sika deer population in South China, and the artificial breeding of Baishanzu fir.
Since the Chinese crested tern was named in 1863, by the beginning of this century, humans have only recorded 6 exact observations of them, and because of their unpredictable tracks, it is known as the "mythical bird".
In 2004, Chen Shuihua, a researcher at Zhejiang Natural History Museum, led a team to discover Chinese crested terns for the first time in Zhejiang, and since 2013, in the Xiangshan Lishan Islands and Zhoushan Dinghai Wuzhishan Archipelago, for many years the use of artificial attraction technology has achieved successful breeding, and in 2020, the relevant survey results show that the highest number of Coastal Zhejiang reached 94 (no more than 150 in the world), and the Chinese Crested Tern Breeding Population Restoration Project has become a model for the protection of artificially induced restored birds. It is believed that in the near future, the population of Chinese crested terns will continue to expand, and one day the "mythical bird" will no longer become a myth.