According to Yi, provisions on habitat protection in the revised draft mainly concern habitats located in nature reserves. Yi pointed out, however, that many habitats exist beyond reserve boundaries. (Photo : Getty Images)
Conservationists are calling for the inclusion of mandatory provisions and support measures targeted to protect wildlife habitats in a revised version of the Law on Protection of Wildlife, according to a report by China Daily.
The revised draft was presented for deliberation to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Dec. 21. The consultation period with the public, which started shortly after the deliberations, wrapped up on Friday, Jan. 29.
The Law on Protection of Wildlife, since its implementation on March 1, 1989, has never been revised until last year.
The revisions involve habitat protection, another first for the Chinese government, according to Yi Lan, deputy head of the Forest and Ocean Unit at Greenpeace East Asia.
"The loss and fragmentation of wildlife habitats are the direct, or even the most important reason, behind wildlife extinction," Yi said in an interview with China Daily.
"However, the articles (in the draft) relating to habitat protection are not focused and not strong enough," Yi added. "There should be a separate chapter dealing with habitat delineation, management, and related legal responsibilities."
According to Yi, provisions on habitat protection in the revised draft mainly concern habitats located in nature reserves. Yi pointed out, however, that many habitats exist beyond reserve boundaries.
"Take the giant panda, for example. Only 66.8 percent of its habitat is within the nature reserve network," Yi said. "Without proper protection from the law, those areas outside reserves risk being sabotaged."
Nature reserves also face various risks brought about by commercial development issues, added Zhang Boju, director of Friends of Nature, a non-profit organization based in Beijing.
During the consultation period, WWF China raised several suggestions to address the issue of habitat protection. The organization outlined that habitat areas are not only limited to where wildlife lives, but to key migration areas as well.
Regular investigations, evaluations and monitoring of habitat status within a specific period of time must be carried out by local government units, the organization said.
"If the revised law doesn't specify a time requirement, then there is a high possibility that it will not be enforced," WWF China said.
