Recently, CBCGDF staff tried to register for an international meeting by an inter-governmental organization which dedicated to protecting migratory birds. However, we only found out from receiving an email from the organizer that we are not able to register because “after consulting with China State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA), the meeting is only open for governmental representatives and ‘relevant’ organization”. That CBCGDF, being the leading national independent environmental NGO and dedicating to biodiversity conservation, is not a relevant organization is a very shocking news, but unfortunately, it has already happened to CBCGDF before.

Earlier in May 2018, CBCGDF heard about the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Conference which would be held in London in October. Immediately, we began to contact the United Kingdom Embassy to express our interest to participate and voice good Chinese experience. With the extensive and arduous work, we thought that it would a perfect opportunity to share our experience in protecting the critically endangered and the most trafficked mammal species – pangolins. However, after a few months of negotiating, the UK Embassy staff told us that it would be a NO for the CBCGDF to attend because that the SFGA decided that CBCGDF’s work was not “relevant” to the theme of the Conference. After persistently contacting with the local organizer in London, CBCGDF finally was able to attend the Conference, but was also very much confused by the decision of the SFGA.

Also in October 2018, just days before the IWT meeting in London, CBCGDF Secretary-General Dr. Zhou was invited to participate in the 70th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES 70th SC). During which, we have planned a side event talking about the destiny changes CBCGDF has made in terms of conserving the endangered pangolins as a Chinese Environmental NGO. Nevertheless, CBCGDF was informed by CITES Secretariat that the side event was cancelled due to SFGA asked them to do so.

Time after time, CBCGDF would only want to share the good conservation stories, efforts and hard work from a Chinese civil society organization’s point of view to the international audience and playground. However, time after time, the actions and applications were interfered by.

We are not here to please anybody or any unit. We only try to do the good thing, which is to protect the wildlife and the environment. Many people think that CBCGDF has put them into trouble and “moved their cheese” by exposing the problem in public, so they further become unfriendly towards us. However, CBCGDF is not going to change ourselves because of that. We are only trying to protect the people’s “cheese”, which is the healthy ecosystem and environment for this generation, next generation and many generations after. Some people may conceive the actions as extreme and aggressive, but in fact, they are not. CBCGDF only would like to do what we need to do in protecting the nature and the ecosystem, even though sometimes these actions make other people too afraid to execute. The only aim in CBCGDF’s eyes is to make a difference in the environment and the planet we call “home”.

(Photo source: Internet)

By / Shuya