| China | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Eastern Asia, bordering the east China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea | here | ||||||||||||||
| National websites | A general search engine for everything in China | here | ||||||||||||||
| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | Ambassador Li Zhaoxing 2300 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, DC 20008 (202) 328-2500 |
here | ||||||||||||||
| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | Chinese National Environmental Protection
Agency (NEPA) 115 Xizhimennei, Nanxiaojie Beijing 100035, China PRC and Chinese Biodiversity Information System
(CBIS) |
here | ||||||||||||||
| Major Natural Resources | China has a wealth of natural resources, ranging from minerals, agricultural products, timber, to industrial products. It also provides a wide range of rare and endangered species of plants and animals. Thanks to a diverse range geological formation that includes deserts, forests, mountains, coasts, and wetlands, China is home to thousands of exotic species in many parts of the country, such as the cold northeast, dry western desert, wet and hilly southwest, and coastal east. Rare species such as tigers, cranes, and pandas are under the watchful eye of the international scientific community. | |||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | China also faces many challenges. While the government is enthusiastic in its participation to international conservation groups, enforcement and training are two serious problems. Further, China's gross overpopulation and regressive industries have already damaged huge portions of the habitat via air, water, and toxic waste pollution. Some of the most polluted areas in the world are in China. The Chinese government has made strides toward improving its environment, repairing habitats, and saving endangered species. What China needs most is education which brings awareness to its people. It also needs more trained specialists who will enforce conservation laws across the nation. | here
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| Statistics | ||||||||||||||||
| Land area | 9,326,410 Sq. km | here | ||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 160,000,000 hectares | here | ||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | 250,000+ Sq. km | here | ||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | 270,550 Sq. km | here | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 1,236,914,658 (July 1998 est.) | here | ||||||||||||||
| Population Density | 122/Sq. km (1995 est.) | here | ||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels | 40,000,000 ha (1991), and this figure has nearly doubled since 1991. It continues to grow as China recognizes its wealth of biodiversity. | here and click on "china" | ||||||||||||||
| Fraction of land area protected (%) | 7.64% of total area, and growing | here | ||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas | Mountains, forests, wetlands, and more. Check out the World Wide Fund web page on China: | here | ||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
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| Endangered and Threatened Species |
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click here and search using "china," "critically endangered," "endangered," "near threatened," and "conservation dependent" | ||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species | Przewalski's Horse, Mongolian Wild Horse, Takh, Cyprinus yilongensis, and Littorara flammea | click here and search using "china," "extinct," and "extinct in wild" | ||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix I | (number) (link to list) | no specific list was found | ||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix II | (number) (link to list) | no specific list was found | ||||||||||||||
| Legislation | ||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | Articles 340 and 341 protect aquatic products and endangered wild animals. Laws also prohibit the purchase, transport, or sale of such products. | click here and search using the word
"animals"; browse down to articles 340 and 341 also click here to see the UN web page |
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| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | Article 343-345 protect natural resources, minerals, and land. Violators can be fined or jailed according to the severity of the offense. Laws also protect logging in certain areas. | click here and search using the word "animals"; browse down to articles 343-345 | ||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | 1-8-81 | here | ||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | 1992 | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | 5-1-93 | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | (date) | |||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | (date) | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) | |||||||||||||||
| Non-government Organizations (NGOs), or chapters of international organizations concerned with the preservation of natural resources | Beijing Energy Efficiency Centre (BECon), The National Conservation Programme for the Giant Panda and its Habitat (NCPGP). For a detailed listing of projects undergone by WWF (over 80 pages!), please check out this fabulous website, which lists detailed work in saving specific endangered species: | click here and browse through 80 pages of information | ||||||||||||||
| Natural Resource Use | ||||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | Check out this awesome web site on China's extensive fisheries: | here | ||||||||||||||
| Forestry | Check out this detailed document on China's
forests: Also look up the detailed document from the UN here |
here | ||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | This site contains some information on China's ecotourism, but it is more commercial than scientific: | here | ||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | Visit this site on the protection of endangered species used in traditional Chinese medicine: | here | ||||||||||||||
| Hunting | China also has laws protecting animals from hunters in certain areas and during certain seasons. | |||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | For an interesting article on China's bear farms, click here. | |||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | ||||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | China is the world's second largest producer
of carbon dioxide, 80% of which comes from burning fossil-fuel Inside China Today Report |
here | ||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | China's industries have polluted land and water via toxic chemicals. Over 150,000 Sq. km of land has been polluted. | here | ||||||||||||||
| Development activities | Population growth is a major concern for the environment. Greenpeace reports that China's breakneck economic growth is threatening a national and global ecological disaster | click here and click "china"; browse down several paragraphs | ||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | ||||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | China's government takes action on improving its air pollution (here). Also check out the web page from Panda.org: | here | ||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | ||||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | China has begun restoring forests (here) in five ecological forest projects. Overall, China has an extensive program to restore its natural habitat. Check the WCMC web site for more details: | click here and click "china"; browse down several paragraphs | ||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | China has an extensive program to rescue endangered animals, which helped restore many species. As of 1995, China has established 227 breeding centers for wild animals. | here | ||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Willie Chen as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA