Haiguo Dialog: Features of Yunnan bird species

The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) is set to take place in Kunming, Yunnan province，as a two-part summit from October 11 to 15, 2021 and in early 2022, respectively.

Sea Pot, a monkey-faced staffer with Yunnan Gateway, has held talks with his friends, many of whom are local conservationists on bio-diversity.

In the first talk, we have ornithologist Han Lianxian, secretary general of the Yunnan Wildlife Conservation Association. Retired as a zoology professor at Southwest Forestry University, Han is also member of the Phasianidae panel with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Q: First of all, I'd like you to tell us some features of Yunnan bird species and their populations.

A: Among the Chinese provincial divisions, Yunnan has the highest degree of diversity in bird species.

Thanks to its distinct location, Yunnan also features a collection of animals from all the directions: the north south species and the west east fauna.

Thirdly, Yunnan birds are the most endemic.

Q: For decades, blacknecked cranes have wintered in Yunnan. So any change in their population over the years?

A: The Chinese conservationists and management set up protected areas for blacknecked cranes to winter and breed, and another 3,000 cranes were found wintering in a valley near Lhasa later. By 2015, the blacknecked crane population doubled to around 11,000 in China.

Q: Among the places you visited, which is the typical example for bird biodiversity conservation?

A: The Huize Bridge scenic area in northeast Yunnan has seen about 35,000 birdwatching tourists, but all showed their ID card for admission. Also, the guides told them about rules and regulations on bird protection, and asked the visitors to sign for acceptance before entry. And they were obliged to report the birds they saw.

Q: What is the significance of COP15 in biodiversity protection?

A: COP15 will show the world the efforts by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese governments in protecting biodiversity. I believe that via COP15 the Yunnan public will realize the urgency of protecting biodiversity.

 By gateway reporters