"Internet celebrity" crocodile gar was "rounded up across the country"
Prevention and control of invasive alien species cannot be "caught all at once"
◎Intern reporter Sun Yue
In the past month, many places across the country have reported the discovery of crocodile gars, and various places have launched campaigns to round up crocodile gars.
In recent years, ecological hazards caused by invasive alien species are not rare.
At present, with the release of the "Administrative Measures for Invasive Alien Species", my country already has laws to follow to prevent the invasion of alien species.
Experts call for starting from the source, strengthening supervision, strictly controlling the entry of alien species, and jointly building a biosafety barrier.
Serious harm to biodiversity and ecological environment
"More than 660 invasive alien species have been discovered nationwide. Among them, 71 species have caused or have potential threats to natural ecosystems and have been included in the "China Invasive Alien Species List"." In June this year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the "2019 China Bulletin on the State of the Ecological Environment.
In the case of invasive alien species, the bulletin gives the above data.
Invasion of alien species means that due to human or natural factors, organisms native to other places enter the local ecosystem, and grow and multiply locally, so that their populations continue to increase and their distribution areas continue to expand. It has caused serious harm to the ecological environment and caused huge economic losses.
Invasion of alien species is one of the important causes of biodiversity loss and species extinction, as well as one of the factors threatening global food security.
The invasion of alien species is mainly harmful in several aspects: first, it causes the decline of agricultural and forestry products, output value and quality, and increases the cost of agricultural and forestry products; second, it has an impact on biodiversity, especially the invasive alien species encroaching on the living space of native species , causing the death and endangerment of native species; the third is the impact on human and animal health and trade.
In 2001, a research report on the impact of alien species carried by human activities on the local ecological environment released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed 100 invasive alien species with the greatest impact. The report believes that biological invasion has become a global environmental problem.
my country is one of the countries most seriously affected by the invasion of alien species.
Among the more than 660 invasive alien species discovered in my country, 215 have invaded national nature reserves, threatening local species and ecosystems.
Among the 100 most influential invasive alien species listed in the above-mentioned research report, 50 species were found in my country.
Invasive species have caused serious harm to my country's agriculture, forestry, water conservancy, animal husbandry and other industries.
Two ways to make invasive alien species "unscrupulous"
There are two main ways for invasive alien species to enter my country.
One is unintentional introduction, generally unintentional entry into my country with international trade, such as poplar mosaic virus introduced with seedlings and cuttings, Amaranthus amaranthus accidentally introduced with imported grain and oil, goods or luggage, and natural diffusion from Southeast Asia into my country The Echinacea et al.
The other is intentional introduction, including amaranth and chrysanthemum introduced as vegetables, goldenrod and brazilian tortoise introduced as ornamental species, goldenrod as a medicinal plant, and fushou snail, bullfrog, Crayfish (crayfish), carpet grass, flat brome, etc. introduced as turf grass or pasture.
There is also Spartina sativa, which was introduced to improve the environment. This plant was originally used for windbreaks and berms. However, due to its rapid spread and strong reproduction, it has invaded my country's coastal areas in a large area, singulation, and high density. .
Ma Fangzhou, an associate researcher at the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Science of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said that these invasive alien species have caused harm to my country's agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, ecological environment and human health.
"For example, Bemisia tabaci is among the 100 malignant invasive alien species in the world announced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is the main invasive pest of field crops and can transmit more than 70 kinds of viruses. Among them, the most serious damage is cotton leaf roll virus. , Tomato Yellow Mosaic Virus, Tobacco Leaf Roll Virus, Potato Leaf Roll Virus, etc. Bemisia tabaci have spread to most parts of my country, and the area of crops affected every year is as high as tens of millions of acres." Ma Fangzhou said, "For example, pine wood nematode, The pine wood nematode disease it causes is called 'cancer of pine trees'. The coniferous forests dominated by pine trees will be threatened by pine wood nematode disease, and even Huangshan pine, the main landscape resource of Huangshan, is no exception. Once the pine wood nematode invades The forest area, the entire forest area will suffer devastating damage.”
Some invasive alien species compete with pastures, affect livestock's food sources, or directly affect livestock.
Such invasive alien organisms can cause serious harm to animal husbandry.
Plants such as Echinacea tend to form single-dominant communities, occupying the growth space of forages, resulting in grassland degradation, reduced forage yields, and a lack of forage for livestock.
After livestock eat its stems and leaves by mistake, diarrhea and asthma will occur. After pollen and achenes enter the eyes and nasal cavity of livestock, it will cause erosion and pus, and may even lead to death.
There are also some invasive alien species that will crowd out the ecological niches of protected species and cause adverse effects on the ecological environment.
"Studies have shown that alien species macroalgae and samphire can compete with the native halophyte mangroves on the southeastern coast of my country for niches, resulting in the reduction or even extinction of mangrove resources, which in turn severely damages local biodiversity. In addition, some Invasive alien species can also hybridize with related native species, interfering with and contaminating the genetic diversity of native species." Ma Fangzhou said.
The alligator gar, which has been on the trending list recently, is native to North America and is a giant freshwater carnivorous fish.
Adult alligator gars can generally reach 1.5 meters in length and are huge in size.
And the alligator gar is also very reproductive.
In addition, it has a "great appetite", as long as it is almost all living things in the water; the hard scales are enough to protect it from all kinds of ferocious predators.
As an invasive species, alligator gar is at the top of the food chain after entering my country.
Once it enters the natural waters of our country, it will bring disaster to the local water ecosystem.
The key to governance is to strictly control inflows
my country attaches great importance to the prevention and control of invasive alien species.
On April 22 this year, the 4th executive meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs reviewed and approved the "Measures for the Administration of Invasive Alien Species" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures"). Officially implemented on the 1st of the month.
The "Measures" pointed out that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will establish a census system for invasive alien species with relevant departments, and organize a national census every ten years to master the species, quantity, distribution range, and degree of harm of invasive alien species in my country; at the same time, the "Measures" clearly , Suspected of a crime, will be transferred to judicial organs according to law for criminal responsibility.
Experts said that my country's "Wild Animal Protection Law", "Yangtze River Protection Law", "Administrative Regulations on the Proliferation and Release of Aquatic Organisms" and other laws and regulations are clear that the random release of alien species is not only harmful to the ecology, but also constitutes illegal or even criminal.
According to the latest implementation of the "Measures", the customs department will strengthen the port quarantine supervision of invasive alien species through channels such as inbound goods, means of transport, consignments, passenger luggage, cross-border e-commerce, and border exchanges.
Anyone who introduces, releases or discards alien species without approval will be punished in accordance with Article 81 of the Biosafety Law of the People's Republic of China.
Those suspected of committing crimes will be investigated for criminal responsibility by judicial organs according to law.
When carrying out various proliferation and release activities, the proliferation and release should be of native species, not invasive alien species.
Augmentation and release activities must be reported to the fishery department in advance and subject to their supervision and inspection.
"The fundamental thing to manage invasive alien species is to start from the source and strictly control their entry. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen market supervision and management, especially the supervision and management of the pet market. At present, many invasive alien species come from the pet market. Due to the lack of supervision Many invasive alien species have flowed into the mainland. Citizens should strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations, not bring in species from abroad, let alone release them privately. Citizens are obliged to supervise and report any form of private release.” Youth from Lanzhou University Zhao Xumao, researcher and chief science expert of Jincheng, said.