"From October to next March flocks of cranes and other
wild waterfowls alight on Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater
lake in Jiangxi Province, to escape winter," says Gong
Zeng, deputy to the Ninth National People's Congress and member
of the Jiangxi Environment and Resources Protection Commission."These
birds, including rare white cranes, gray cranes, mandarin ducks,
and swans, fly here from China's north and Siberia, forming
a unique lake scene acclaimed as the 'White Great Wall of China'
by foreigners, for most of them are white."
Yet, Gong Zheng
said, the poaching and slaughter of wildlife still prevails,
despite countermeasures. He called for a series of measures
to be adopted to stop wildlife slaughter and illegal trading
at the National People's Congress, which is in session now.
Meanwhile, the National People's Congress should strengthen
supervision. His proposals have aroused the great concern
of the central government, since Poyang Lake is a world renowned
resort for many first- and second-class waterfowls under state
protection.
Gong said October
through March is the dry season for Poyang Lake, which usually
sees the forming of nine stretches of shallow marshlands,
creating an ideal winter haven for migratory birds. There
are 310 species in the region totaling one million birds.
Among these, 50 species are under state protection. Last year,
some 2,990 white cranes, a bird near extinction, came here,
accounting for 98 percent of the world's total.
Yet over-fishing
and illegal trading of white cranes and ducks near the lake
zone have seriously disrupted and threatened normal activities,
said Gong. The lake has witnessed decreasing flocks of birds
arriving. To safeguard their winter resorts, the Poyang Lake
Nature Reserve was established in 1983, with an area of 22,400
hectares. Yet, the wild birds protection effort in the lake
zone has gone through a tortuous course for various reasons.
The catering industry
in China's southern provinces have always covertly served
dishes of wild animal meat to attract customers at a fairly
expensive price, which is a stimulus for those wanting to
make a quick fortune by conducting this trade. Some criminal
gangs are even established for this purpose, although related
China law stipulates that those killing or transporting wild
animals under second-class state protection are subject to
severe punishment.
In addition, the
reserve is set up in an area where local fishermen have lived
for hundreds of years. Now, they are forced to suspend their
fishing during the stay of migratory birds so as not to erode
their habitats. As a result, local people are suffering losses
since fishing is not allowed in the best fishing season and
their living is not as good as before. Some secretly fish
and others turn to poaching, spreading fish nets or spraying
poison to capture the wild birds. This became most rampant
in 1998.
Furthermore, some
local factories are established near the lake, causing heavy
pollution. Some of them have been forced to close by the Jiangxi
provincial government. Yet, for local economic reasons, some
still exist. Coordination between various departments is a
must to solve this problem, said Gong Zeng. Local governments
still lacks strong determination in this matter and some are
ignorant of the wildlife protection law.
After a long investigation,
the provincial government of Jiangxi determined to tackle
the problem, especially as it launched environmental agricultural
development in 1999. At the end of that year, the provincial
Department of Public Security launched a large campaign against
wildlife poaching and trade, captured more than 10 gangs and
saved several thousand birds. Hence, much of the illegal behavior
has been brought under control. In 2000, an increasing number
of wild birds returned to Poyang Lake once again. Yet, loopholes
still exist.
Poyang Lake has
been frequented by the British and Danish princes, large numbers
of UN experts ornithologists, and bird-lovers. Since the establishment
of the reserve, scholars, experts and tourists from many foreign
countries have come to watch the graceful white cranes, which
they consider as a scene unique to China but should be protected
by all the people in the world.
"Don't turn
Poyang Lake into the slaughterhouse of wild birds," once
warned Shen Baoxiang of the School of the Central Party Committee,
who has twice urged the Jiangxi provincial government to strengthen
the crime attacking.
Gong said that,
to improve the situation by a big margin, intensified efforts
and related policies must be adopted to protect nature. We
should achieve common knowledge that biological variety should
be guaranteed for sustained and harmonious development between
man and nature. Wildlife and environment protection awareness
should also be further enhanced in society on a whole. In
addition, Gong hoped that media should play a bigger role
in exposing the related misbehaviors and publicizing wildlife
protection knowledge.
Most important
of all, said Gong, government should give subsidies or other
forms of compensation to local fishermen and help them develop
a diversified economy to increase their income while preserving
the ecosystem. Balance should be obtained between bird protection
and improving local people's livelihood. Local forestry workers
near the lake should be mobilized and encouraged to participate
in the protection. Only through joint efforts by related organizations
and people can wild lives near the lake be better protected
and cared. Law enforcement and supervision should be intensified
to stop the loopholes in this regard.
Gong said ecological
tourism should be developed cautiously at Poyang Lake, which
has seen a flourishing development in the world. Gong stressed
that the Poyang Lake Nature Reserve should learn from other
successful nature reserves in terms of tourism development.
Large and frequent groups should not be allowed to visit the
lake zone since many wild birds will be frightened away.
Gong said he was
glad that the cranes arriving at Poyang Lake had increased
in number and variety from October 2000 to April this year.
China is a country boasting great variety of flora and fauna
resources, yet it is still a country not doing enough work
in protecting them. Moreover, as ecosystem and environment
in some areas in the country are destroyed, he called for
solid and concrete measures to be carried out by the country,
instead of just issuing orders and regulations.
(CIIC by Guo Xiaohong
03/14/2001)
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