Protecting Wildlife by the Strictest Instruments: China's Current Situation and Reform Direction

Zhang Lirong,Meng rui, Jin Shichao, Pan Ze, Zhou Jia, Dong Jinchi, Wang Xiahui, Wang Jinnan, Chang Jiwen

Chinese Journal of Environmental Management 2020,12(2):5-19

DOI：10.16868/j.cnki.1674-6252.2020.02.005

With the rapid development of global industrialization and urbanization, wildlife and habitat protection are facing unprecedented challenges. This paper identified the main problems of wildlife conservation in China:(1) The current Wildlife Protection Act defines the scope of wildlife protection too narrowly. The dominant thought of resource utilization interferes with the wildlife protection. Additionally, sufficient attention to ecosystem and biological safety are absent. (2) Due to the incompleteness or absence of current wildlife protection legislation, law enforcement and management system, the market for wildlife domestication and breeding has been in a long-term disorder and has even become a "launder tool" of illegal wildlife trade. (3) Public awareness of respecting and protecting wild animals is relatively weak. The mechanism of public participation, supervision and reporting also needs to be improved. This paper argued that China should implement the strictest wildlife protection system to achieve equality, civilization and harmony between human and wildlife. The paper suggested that:(1) The concept of respecting right of existence of wildlife species as well as the harmonious coexistence between human and wildlife civilization should be established, while the concept of using wildlife resources should be abandoned, and the relationship of equal coexistence between human and wildlife should be reconstructed. (2) Clearly define the legal definition of wildlife, expand the scope of wildlife protection, and build the most rigorous wildlife protection system in a comprehensive, scientific and precise way in the processes of hunting, breeding, transportation, storage, transfer and food. (3) Based on the comprehensive protection of wildlife, the indiscriminate eating and consuming of wildlife and excessive commercial using are strictly prohibited. Implement the licensing system for the use of wildlife protection, and raise the standards significantly and control trade and utilization strictly. Establish a system of law enforcement, supervision and punishment with clear responsibilities. (4) Establish the strictest public participation and judicial management system for the protection of wildlife, implement the administrative public interest litigation system for illegal trade and hunting of wildlife, and guide the public to establish a civilized behavior of protecting, no eating and no using of wildlife, and finally realize the harmonious and civilized coexistence of human society and wildlife.