Focus on Arts and Ecology

The big environmental stories in the Chinese media this week (4-10 October)

China’s top agency for biodiversity has laid down a plan to protect migratory birds making seasonal stops in China while en route from the Arctic to the southern hemisphere.

On 8 October, the Forestry and Grassland Administration (FGA) called on local authorities to take stock of migratory birds and their habitats within their jurisdiction, and carry out campaigns to eliminate threats to the birds’ safety in the next few months.

China’s vast lakes and wetlands, while providing shelter and food for migratory birds, can also be deadly. Illegal hunters set traps, nets and even toxic baits to capture the birds for food or to sell as pets. As birds are due to arrive in large flocks from the north in the next months, bird hunters and regulators alike are gearing up for a battle that will influence how many birds arrive safely at their destinations.

The FGA’s notice requires local authorities to include migratory bird protection in the appraisal of local officials’ performances. It also instructs local governments to set up coordination bodies that can combine the efforts of multiple government agencies involving forestry, police, commerce and transportation. The agency vows to hold local officials accountable for any mass killing or capture of migratory birds in their jurisdiction.

In recent years, migratory birds have pitched Chinese conservationists against hunters in direct conflicts – setting up and destroying illegal bird nets. 

Read our earlier reporting on the battle to save migratory birds flying through China.