Forests Are the Most Important Habitat for Terrestrial Wild Animals

Fantastic Species: Wildlife Conservation in China through the Lens

Li Shuanke， Xi Zhinong (editor-in-chief)

CITIC Press Group

June 2022

128.00 (CNY)

This book shows the progression of the relationship between the Chinese and the various wildlife that have this land over the past 100 years. Taking time， region， and species as the intersecting quadrants， this book systematically reviews the history of the discovery， cognition， utilization， and protection of wild animals in China， as well as the great changes in the concept of protection， objectively showing the achievements and lessons we obtained， and look forward to the future protection work.

Li Shuanke

A researcher at the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research， Chinese Academy of Sciences， the president and editor-in-chief of China National Geographic， the executive director of the Chinese Geographical Society， and the executive director of the Natural Science Journal Editors Research Association.

Xi Zhinong

Devoted to the photography and protection of wildlife in China for many years， Xi Zhinong was honored as one of the 40 most influential nature photographers by the British Outdoor Magazine in 2010 and was selected as one of the “International League of Conservation Photographers” (iLCP).

Forests are the most important habitat for terrestrial wild animals. China， a vast country with drastic changes in elevation， is home to abundant forest resources， from the colorful and flourishing tropical rainforests of Hainan Island to the northern coniferous forests in the snowy northeast， and from the warm evergreen broad-leaved forests in the east to the dry and cold spruce forests in the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In the high-ridged mountains of the subtropical southwest， as the elevation increases， forests take the forms of tropical monsoon forests， mid-mountain wet broad-leaved forests， mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests， and alpine-subalpine coniferous forests. These diverse forests are habitats for many wild animals， including tigers (Panthera tigris)， gibbons (Hylobatidae spp.)， Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)， snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus spp.)， Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus)， and of course， the world-famous Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). For them， deforestation is the biggest existential threat aside from hunting. Logging can help short-term economic development， but it also destroys the natural habitats of many wild animals. In addition to being used as timber， trees are also cut down as a fuel source. Compared with planned forestry practices， such scattered logging is large in size and harder to control. As the human population grows， deforestation and land reclamation for agriculture have also destroyed much forest land， particularly in the southern hilly areas. In Hainan， Guangxi， Yunnan， and other regions where water resources and sunshine are abundant， large areas of primitive natural forest inhabited by wild animals have been destroyed to make room for economic forests such as rubber trees and eucalyptus. These forests with only one species of trees， green as it seems， are actually “green deserts” to wild animals for their lack of biodiversity.

The protection of forest ecosystems came first in the history of nature conservation in China. The first batch of nature reserves， established in China in 1956， were almost all designed to protect forests. Today， of nearly 500 national nature reserves， more than 200 are mainly for this purpose. These reserves offer much-needed refuges for wild animals.

The Natural Forest Protection Project that began between 1998 and 2000 was a major turning point in forest protection， marking a shift in the forestry industry from timber production to ecological protection. Today， the Chinese Government supports the management and protection of ecological public welfare forests through a central compensation fund for forest ecological benefits.

China has long realized the importance of forests for soil and water conservation and has carried out large-scale afforestation campaigns. Supported by the Three-North Shelter Forest Program and the Returning Cropland to Forestland Project， the forest coverage rate has increased from just 8% in the late 1940s to over 20% in 2019. However， many of these planted forest habitats are of single tree species， which cannot provide an ideal living environment for many wild animals. Some conservation organizations are attempting to restore such forests for wild animals. For example， the Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden worked with the Bawangling National Nature Reserve in Hainan Province and local communities to plant more than 80，000 food-source trees for the critically endangered Hainan Gibbon (Nomascus hainanus). After years of conservation efforts， the Hainan Gibbon has begun to feed on these trees. The newly revised Forest Law (2019) requires more attention to ecological benefits in forest management.

Hunting has always been a major threat to wildlife， even after the Wildlife Protection Law was enacted in 1989. Although forests and vegetation remain intact in south and northeast China， wild animals are rare due to serious poaching. Effective management of protected areas is the first line of defense against poaching. For example， in the habitat of the Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) in Hunchun and Wanda Mountain in northeast China， forest guardians have strengthened monitoring patrols against poaching， significantly improving the habitat for local wildlife.

From the late 1970s to the 1980s， a major shift happened in conserving the Giant Panda. Although China established a group of nature reserves such as Wanglang and Wolong as early as the 1960s， people still knew very little about the ecology of the Giant Panda. Bamboo blossoming， resulting in large bamboo die-offs， twice drew public attention， and the “Rescue Giant Panda” campaign received widespread support. Scientific research on the Giant Panda followed. An international joint research team composed of Chinese and foreign experts such as Hu Jinchu and George Schaller conducted research in Sichuan; and the Pan Wenshi team from Peking University in Qinling Mountain， Shaanxi， made many contributions to the effective conservation of Giant Pandas， and helped to ensure the conservation of the Giant Panda proceeded on the right track.