Habitat Is Key Interview with Fan Zhiyong, Director of WWF China’s Species Programme

by Liu Haile

The World Wide Fund for Nature （WWF） launched its China operation with a project for giant pandas. In 1980， upon an invitation from WWF， American scientist George Schaller set off on a giant panda research trek in Wolong Nature Reserve in southwestern Chinas Sichuan Province. Three decades later， in addition to its impressive wildlife protection endeavors， WWF China has stepped foot into fields such as ecological sustainability， climate change， and energy conservation. Still， species programme remains the engine of WWFs efforts in China. In August， Fan Zhiyong， director of WWF Chinas species programme， sat down with China Pictorial （CP） at the WWF Beijing Office to share his understanding of wildlife conservation， to which he has devoted more than 20 years of his life.

CP ： What do you think of the wildlife conservation situation in China？

Fan ： Chinas efforts in wildlife conservation began in the 1950s. In 1956， Dinghu Mountain Nature Reserve， the first of its kind in China， was founded. However， large-scale construction of nature reserves didnt start until the 1980s. As China opened its door to the outside world， global nature conservation organizations such as WWF began to enter the country， bringing new ideas and concepts about wildlife protection. Chinese people began to rethink behavior harmful to the ecosystem and restore nature reserves that were previously destroyed. Over the following three decades， China converted 15 percent of its total territory into nature reserves – an eye-popping achievement that no other country has ever made in such a limited period.

In 1989， the Law of the Peoples Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife was enacted. Gradually， a wildlife conservation network ranging from the central government to township-level governments was formed. Benefiting from the network， some species have been rescued from the brink of extinction. For instance， crested ibises were once deemed extinct in the wild until seven were discovered in Yangxian County， Shaanxi Province， in 1981. The state established a protection station for the species in the county， and its personnel guarded trees in which the birds were nesting around-the-clock to prevent attacks by animals such as yellow-throated martens and yellow-bellied weasels. To date， the population of crested ibises has reached close to 1，000.

Despite the fact that the situation has improved for some species， the overall conservation situation remains disheartening. For some species， our efforts have only slowed their decline to extinction， rather than bringing their numbers back up.

CP ： Currently， what problems and challenges is China facing in terms of wildlife protection？

Fan ： Back in the 1970s and 80s， poaching and logging were major threats to wild animals. The situation is different now. From the perspective of legislation， Chinas wildlife protection laws lag behind the times. For example， the list of animals under national protection has hardly changed in 25 years. The musk deer was promoted from second-grade state protection to first-grade， thats it. The list is supposed to be constantly updated according to results of wildlife monitoring. Moreover， the key to wildlife protection is habitat conservation. However， Chinas existing wildlife protection regulations only ban killing certain species and lack substantive content related to habitat conservation.

From the biological perspective， the major threat to wildlife conservation is a fractured habitat. Habitats are irreversibly fractured or fragmented by human activity such as highways， mining， and hydropower stations. Invasive infrastructure projects prevent relations between creatures in the area. Some wild species are fragmented into such small groups that inbreeding is unavoidable， resulting in a genetic drift， population decline and even extinction. This path is particularly lethal to large and medium-sized animals.

Wildlife trafficking is another major threat. For instance， a huge number of birds are still hunted during migration season even though China has asked the public not to eat wild birds and cracked down on bird poaching for many years. The country has formed a legal system for wildlife protection， but enormous room to strengthen enforcement still remains.

CP ： What role have international conservation organizations like WWF played in Chinas wildlife protection？

Fan ： Every international organization has its own specific focus， but commonalities they all share are bringing new ideas and concepts to China and serving as role models to inspire further efforts. WWFs first programme in China was for the giant panda. The needs of local residents were taken into account when the giant panda nature reserve system was constructed. Excessive exploitation of natural resources by locals has long been a threat to habitats of wild animals. To improve the situation， we introduced alternative livelihood approaches to maintain balanced development in local communities. For example， we founded an association in Sichuan Province to teach local farmers how to plant peppers and provided a special sales channel by collaborating with Carrefour supermarkets. Such programs not only boost local residents income， but also enhance their awareness of nature conservation. Other projects such as fuel-saving stoves and micro-hydropower plants also help to improve the living environment of giant pandas.

CP ： Currently， what species is WWF most concerned about？

Fan ： Our top concerns are flagship species such as the giant panda， Siberian tiger， Amur leopard， and snow leopard. We need to allocate our limited funds to the protection of critical locations and species， and the flagship and umbrella species are even more important because of their crucial role in balancing the entire ecosystem. Their subsistence and continuity mirror an ecosystems completeness and health. For instance， protecting the Siberian tiger and its habitat indirectly protects many other species in the same ecosystem such as the Asiatic black bear， Eurasian elk， red deer， spotted deer， and roe deer， strengthening the entire area.

CP ： What principles should we follow to protect wild animals？ Fan ： First of all， we should preserve the integrity of wild habitats as much as possible. The ideal state would be vast， undivided habitats that can support population growth for 50 or even 100 years.

Secondly， we shouldnt rank specific animals because every species is crucial to the soundness and sustainability of the entire ecosystem. The state should promote the protection of every endangered species simultaneously.

Finally， we should do our utmost to maintain the subsistence of any species as long as possible， and understand that it is never too late to take action to protect them. The ultimate goal of protecting wildlife and biodiversity is to leave our own descendents the resources and opportunities to maintain the continuity of mankind.