Yunnan improves compensation mechanism for wildlife-caused losses to promote biodiversity protection
Yunnan improves compensation mechanism for wildlife-caused losses to
promote biodiversity protection
Bastille Post Global
July 7, 2024
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https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/3975512-yunnan-improves-conpensation-mechanism-for-wildlife-caused-losses-to-promote-biodiversity-protection
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Southwest China's Yunnan Province, one of the country's most important
treasure houses of biodiversity, has been continuously improving the
compensation mechanism for property losses caused by wild animals, as an
effort to better promote biodiversity protection.
As a Chinese saying goes, "All beings flourish when they live in harmony
and receive nourishment from Nature." The Earth is full of vigor and
vitality because of biodiversity, which lays the foundation for human
survival and development.
Known as "the kingdom of plants and animals", Yunnan is an ecological
security barrier in southwestern China. The province has always
incorporated biodiversity protection in its overall economic and social
development, and made great efforts to meet the high standard for
biodiversity protection.
The draft of compensation measures for damage caused by terrestrial
wildlife in Yunnan was published for comments on April 30. Grassroots staff
and wildlife monitors visited households in various villages to solicit
ideas and learn about the needs of local people. Local authorities have
worked on details to gradually improve relevant laws and regulations so as
to promote the harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
A group of 21 Asian elephants have been recently monitored around Dashujiao
Village, Jiangcheng County in Pu'er City. As soon as they are spotted in
the village, monitors would issue an on-site warning to villagers, and
which can also be sent through their online monitoring platform.
When a warning was lifted as the elephants walked into the forest after
they made a havoc for about an hour in and around the village, some rice
plants, which were about to start head sprouting, were damaged.
"The elephants ate some of the rice plants and damaged some others.
Starting from 2022, we have substantially increased crop compensation. The
previous compensation was only 800 plus yuan (about 112 U.S. dollars) per
mu (about 0.067 hectares), but now it has been greatly increased. If the
crops are mature, we now have a compensation of more than 1,500 yuan per
mu," said Diao Faxing, an elephant monitor of Jiangcheng County.
Wildlife protection not only involves protecting their habitats, but also
reducing property losses caused by them. With the continuous improvement in
protection measures, the corresponding property loss compensation mechanism
has also been established.
"We have a mobile application specially developed for compensation. After
measuring the damage, we will determine the aggregate amount of
compensation. If we have measured the damage today, the compensation will
be paid to villagers in a week," said Diao.
In October 2021, Yunnan released 20 local standards for the protection of
three wild animals -- the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, Asian elephant and
green peacock, filling in a number of gaps in wildlife protection standards.
In order to protect peacock population and their habitat, Shuangbai County
in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture expanded the protected area to 17,534
hectares and conducted habitat restoration work.
"Protecting the flagship species of green peacocks means protecting their
river valley habitat. This is very important for maintaining the stability
of the ecological environment in the river valley," said Wu Fei, an
associate researcher at the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences.
With the Yunnan Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan
2024-2030 released on May 21, the province will step up its efforts to
promote the positive interaction between biodiversity conservation and
green economic and social development.