On 19 Oct. 2021, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and General Office of the State Council issued the “Opinions of Further Strengthening the Biodiversity Conservation” (hereinafter “the Opinions”,關于進一步加強生物多樣性保護的意見).
The Opinions calls for the promotion of the enactment and revisions of laws and regulations in the fields of wild animals protection, fisheries and wetlands protection, nature reserves, forests, and wild plants protection as well as access to biogenetic resources and benefit-sharing.
In addition, it requires the elimination of all forms of illegal utilization and destruction of aquatic biological resources, ecology as well as habitats. Moreover, it calls for the fight against criminal acts including illegal hunting, collecting, transporting, and trading of wildlife and wildlife products.
Earlier this month, on 8 Oct., the State Council Information Office issued the white paper on “Biodiversity Conservation in China” (中國的生物多樣性保護). It is translated into English, French and other multilingual versions.
According to the white paper, over the past ten years, China has already promulgated and revised more than 20 biodiversity-related laws and regulations, including the Fisheries Law, Wild Animal Protection Law, Environmental Protection Law, and Biosecurity Law.
Ever since 2019, China has become the largest contributor to the core budget of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its Protocols, strongly supporting the operation and implementation of the CBD. In recent years, China has become the largest developing donor country to the Global Environment Facility.
Cover Photo by JuniperPhoton on Unsplash
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team
