Biodiversity Conservation in China: Policies and Practice

Distribution and conservation of orchid species richness in China

“…Up to 2012, China has set up more than 2600 nature reserves in order to protect its mega-biodiversity, including 363 national (NNRs) and 872 provincial nature reserves (PNRs) (Zhao et al, 2013). Unfortunately, there is no protection regulation for in situ conserving orchids (McBeath and McBeath, 2006). Among all these NNRs, only one, the ''Yachang Orchid Nature Reserve'', together with some PNRs, is specially designed for protecting orchids, albeit that most of the NNRs and PNRs have included different orchids (He et al, 2007).…”

Biodiversity conservation in China: barriers and future actions

“…Based on the numbers of its species, however, China is ranked second in mammals, third in higher plants, fourth in reptiles, sixth in amphibians, and eighth in birds worldwide [3,4]. China owes its rich biodiversity to 'its large size, great physical range of conditions and the fact that it contains ancient centres of evolution and dispersion together with the fact that many areas served as Pleistocene refugia during the temperate species decimations of the Ice Ages' [5,6]. Since 1949, and especially from the 1980s onwards, China has gradually committed to biodiversity conservation, and although achieving remarkable progress, it has nonetheless experienced some serious failures.…”

“…These included nature reserves, forest reserves, and parks. China's protected areas, which account for 1.52 million km 2 or 15.2% of China's land territory [2], are greater than those of the United States [6]. Since 1998, China has implemented a nationwide policy to convert farmlands into forests and grasslands, with a total of 26.86 million ha forests and grasslands restored by 2008 [7].…”

“…Since 1971, China has ratified more than 30 multilateral and many bilateral environmental treaties and agreements [5]. As examples of their enforcement, between the 1980s and 2003 more than 30 people were executed for killing -or trading in the body parts of -elephants and giant pandas [6]. In 2005, 455 cases were prosecuted and 736 suspects were detained [8].…”

Engaging the environment in the China – Africa relationship

“…Due to rapid economic growth and development, industrialisation as well as a high population growth in recent decades, much of the country's biodiversity has been harmed or threatened (McBeath and McBeath, 2006). Consequently, in China, where conservation areas have only been developed in recent years, the pressure on natural resources and natural habitats of flora and fauna has taken on a significant scale.…”