Governance of Biodiversity Conservation in China And Taiwan

● China Ocean Agenda 21 (1996);

● National planning for forest ecological construction (1996–2050);

● Trans-century Green Projects plan (1996–2000);

● Plan for the centralized conservation of urban rare flora species (1996);

● Conservation plan for South China Tiger (1996);

● Biodiversity protection and sustainable use of wetlands (2000–04);

● Action plan for implementing the UN Convention to combat

desertification (1998).^36

This represents a large amount of planning activity, at least in part stimulated
by the adoption of international rules and standards. For example, China’s
Second National Report discusses identification and monitoring activities
done to implement CBD provisions.^37 A leader of the State Environmental
Protection Administration (SEPA) commented on the impact that the CBD has
had on China’s policies and practices:

‘There has been a change in concept. Before we had much less knowledge about

biodiversity, but now there is far greater familiarity. ... The CBD has influenced

national policy, and many methods have changed as a result. For example, the SFA

and MOA have conducted more surveys and investigations ... and regulations and

policies have changed too. For example, recently the Minister of Construction told

cities and towns to develop biodiversity plans. ... In planting trees, he advised that

they should use different varieties instead of single species. Also, they should

submit plans on how to stop invasive pests.’^38

While international stimuli have intensified the focus on biodiversity
conservation, the existing body of legislation and regulations is under revision,
and this reflects a maturing in the attitude of the state toward species and
habitat preservation. The premier legislation on rare and endangered species,
the Wild Animal Conservation Act (1989) underwent revision in 2002–03. The
State Forestry Administration (SFA) wrote a draft and submitted it to the State
Council, but the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic
(reputedly initiated by the eating of wild civet cats in Guangzhou) intervened
and delayed the process. Differences between the proposed revisions and
existing law show important changes in thinking about biodiversity
conservation in China.^39 We illustrate five of these differences below.

1. Ownership and use of wildlife From the establishment of the People’s
   Republic of China, all wildlife belonged to the state. Then, with marketizing
   reforms beginning in the late 1970s, people wanted to domesticate certain
   species, and be able to sell those they had raised. This conflicted with
   prohibitions on the sale of rare and endangered species. The proposed solution
   is to assign the power to use and manage wild species, based on a permitting
   system. Similarly, the WACA prohibited people from using (and in particular,

76 Governance of biodiversity conservation in China and Taiwan