1st white paper highlights biodiversity achievements

China’s efficient policy secures eco-system protection

China on Friday released its first white paper on biodiversity conservation to showcase the country’s efforts and achievements on biodiversity conversation and share its ideas with the international community as well as its practice in upholding multilateralism and deepening global cooperation.

The white paper was released three days before the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), which is set to kick off in Kunming, Southwest China’s Yunnan Province on October 11, and aims to boost global confidence in dealing with challenges to biodiversity conservation and promote ambitious and practical results at the COP15, senior officials and experts said.

Titled Biodiversity Conversation in China, the white paper was released by the Information Office of the State Council on Friday at a press conference. It details China’s approach to biodiversity conservation – harmony between humanity and nature; China’s actions on increasing the efficiency of biodiversity conservation; and how China improves biodiversity governance and its global cooperation.

The white paper noted that China, as one of the first countries to sign and approve the Convention on Biological Diversity, has always attached great importance to biodiversity conservation and preserving biodiversity with creative and up-to-date measures, achieving substantial progress on a distinctively Chinese path of conservation.

Zhao Yingmin, the vice minister of ecology and environment, told the Friday press conference that releasing the white paper to coincide with the COP15 signifies China’s meaningful contributions to global biodiversity and conservation.

This is the first time China has released a paper on its work of biodiversity conservation, and aside from displaying China’s

achievements, it showed the international community China’s responsibility and resolve on biodiversity conservation and the confidence to work with the world in dealing with challenges relating to biodiversity, Zhao said.

Fruitful achievements

The first white paper on China’s biodiversity conservation discusses in detail China’s achievements and efficient governance in the field and draws an overall view on China’s vast land and sea territories, complex terrain, diverse climate, unique ecosystems, and abundant species.

China’s forest coverage and forest reserve have both maintained growth over the last 30 years, with China also realizing the largest growth in forest resources among all countries. Between 2016 and 2020, China restored 1,200 km of coastline and 23,000 hectares of coastal wetlands.

With targeted campaigns to save endangered species, the population of giant pandas in the wild has risen from 1,114 to 1,864 over the past four decades. The crested ibis population has increased from only seven to over 5,000, with both wild species and artificial breeds counted. The Asian elephant population in the wild has grown from 180 in the 1980s to about 300, according to the white paper.

Structured top-level design for biodiversity and including it in a major national political agenda are key reasons why China can make such great achievements on biodiversity conservation, Liu Yan, a research fellow from Nanjing Institute of Environmental Science of Ministry of Ecology and Environment, who took part in drafting the white paper, told the Global Times on Friday.

Liu noted that what impressed her most when preparing for and drafting the white paper is the increasing sense on protection across the nation – from national leaders to children, from social organizations to governmental institutions, people are aware of and talking on protecting the environment as it closely related to our life and to protect it is to protect humans.

Liu said that all measures China has taken on biodiversity are closely linked to each other – the top-level ensures governments of all levels include biodiversity in local development plans, drafting and revising laws and regulations to offer timely protections, and the supervision mechanism would make sure the implementation. “All these also reflects the advantages of our systems.”

Refuting attacks

Aside from outlining achievements, the white paper also pointed out that as one of the important forces for global biodiversity conservation, China made significant progress by adhering to multilateralism and mutual cooperation. It has provided support to more than 80 developing countries in biodiversity conservation under the “South-South” cooperation framework.

“China will continue deepening international exchanges and global cooperation on biodiversity to contribute to the harmonious coexistence of nature and humanity with China’s approach,” Zhao said.

However, some Western countries including the US have turned a blind eye to China’s achievements on biodiversity conservation and accused China of endangering wildlife with fishing and damaging rainforests.

The US has never signed the Convention on Biological Diversity as it severely damaged biodiversity during domestic industrialization and extinguished a large number of species. It is not willing to take the price or the responsibility on biodiversity conservation, Li Junfeng, former director general of China’s National Center of Climate Change Strategy Research under the National Development and Reform Commission, told the Global Times on Friday.

Li noted that due to its selfishness and weighing economic benefits, the US has dodged many international conventions.

But not even being a party of these conventions did not stop the US from using them to attack others, Li said, noting that the US accuses China and Russia of violating the Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“It is typical US style to ask others to behave themselves with rules while indulging itself for treading on them to showcase its ‘global governance’ and dominance,” said Li, noting that to defend the shared home of humans, every country should fulfill its promises. This is why we emphasize global effort at the COP15 to put aside disputes and work together.