Starting from February 23, 2024, Yunnan’s five local standards for Asian elephants will be officially implemented.
The formulation of these five local standards is of great significance to further improving the technical system for Asian elephant protection in China, improving the protection and management capabilities of Asian elephants and their habitats, growing the Asian elephant population, promoting biodiversity protection, and promoting the harmonious development of humans and elephants.
my country's local standards for Asian elephants formally implemented
As a typical area for Asian elephant protection, Yunnan formulated the "Technical Regulations for Asian Elephant Habitat Restoration", "Technical Regulations for the Rehabilitation and Breeding of Asian Elephants", "Technical Guidelines for the Containment, Rescue and Rewilding of Asian Elephants" and "Technical Guidelines for the Rewilding Training of Asian Elephants" in December 2023. Five local standards for Asian elephants, including "Technical Regulations for the Construction of Food Sources" and "Technical Regulations for Asian Elephant Dynamic Information and Early Warning".
Starting from February 23 this year, these five standards were officially implemented, which not only filled the gap in animal protection standards in Yunnan, but also opened the way for the standardization of wild Asian elephant protection in my country, making the Asian elephant protection and management standard system gradually improved and more comprehensive.
Chen Fei, Director of the Asian Elephant Research Center of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration: The various local standards for Asian elephants are based on scientific data and experience accumulated over a long period of time, fully considering the ecological habits and protection and management needs of Asian elephants, and in monitoring, early warning, and rescue. , rewilding, habitat protection and other aspects have been standardized, gradually forming a complete protection and management standard system to ensure the scientificity and practicality of the standards.
Asian Elephant Local Standard
Source protection consolidates results
As the largest existing terrestrial wild animal in Asia, the Asian elephant is listed as an endangered species by the World Conservation Union and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Over the years, Yunnan has adopted a series of rescue and conservation measures to effectively protect the habitat of Asian elephants, and the population of Asian elephants has continued to increase.
The Asian elephant is a national first-level protected wild animal. It was first discovered in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan in 1958. Another 146 were discovered in 1976, and 180 were discovered in 1995. Currently, there are approximately 300 to 310 of them. China’s wild Asian elephant population is gradually Increase.
In order to further consolidate the protection results, local standards for Asian elephants have been formulated to protect them from the source.
Wang Jishan, senior engineer at the Asian Elephant Research Center of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration: The standard is based on a large number of scientific experiments and practical experience, and can provide scientific and systematic guidance to make Asian elephant protection and management methods more targeted, operable and scientific, and help and adopt more effective protective measures for conservation management departments.
Asian Elephant Local Standard
Promote the construction of Asian Elephant National Park
Yunnan, as the habitat with the highest concentration of Asian elephants in China, officially applied for the establishment of an Asian Elephant National Park in August 2022.
The introduction of local standards for Asian elephants will also significantly promote the construction of the Asian Elephant National Park.
According to the plan, the establishment area of the Asian Elephant National Park involves 11 districts and counties in the three prefectures and cities of Xishuangbanna, Pu'er and Lincang in Yunnan.
At present, 11 nature reserves have been established in Yunnan Province in the Asian Elephant National Park creation area. Since most of these nature reserves are based on rescue protection, the pace of transformation to scientific management is relatively slow, and scientific researchers cannot Projects such as Asian elephant habitat reconstruction and food source construction are fully carried out in the protected area.
Chen Fei, director of the Asian Elephant Research Center of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration: It is optimized through a scientific summary of the rich experience of local staff, and provides a set of methods that can be used for reference for the protection and management of Asian elephants. It is a standardized method to explore and practice Asian elephants. A new model for conservation management.
Therefore, in response to actual work needs, the introduction of Asian elephant-related standards from different perspectives will play an important role in the construction and development of the Asian Elephant National Park.
(CCTV reporter Shi Shaoyu and Chen Yu Yunnan Channel)