East Asian Neophocaena, is distributed in the coastal waters of the Taiwan Strait (including the western coast of Taiwan), northern East China Sea, Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, South Korean and Japanese waters.
The Indo-Pacific Neophocaena, is distributed in offshore Asia part of the Indian Ocean, and the Indian-Pacific coastal waters in the south of the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea.
Because of bycatch and abnormal deaths, the population of Marine Neophocaena drops sharply. Director Ren Zengying from Marine Neophocaena Reserve of CBCGDF in Dalian, is one of the long-term volunteers concerned about the animal. Recently, at the 2021 Two Sessions Motions/Proposal Meeting, he pointed out that because of the different distribution of responsibilities of the marine and ecological protection departments, the protection of the East Asian Neophocaena and the Indo-Pacific Neophocaena is inadequate. He put forward some suggestions for the above problems.
Status Quo
1. The academic circles pay less attention to the East Asian Neophocaena and the Indo-Pacific Neophocaena. Their scientific research lag behind the construction of marine ecological civilization.
2. Most people do not know the existence of these two species at all. And fishermen catch them by accident frequently.
3. Due to the different responsibilities of the marine ecological protection departments, their protection is inadequate. The competent authoritys in charge of protecting endangered aquatic wildlife is the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The fishing authorities will take care of issues only after detecting animals’ deaths.
4. East Asia Neophocaena and Indo-Pacific Neophocaena are the endangered species under second-class state protection, with limited protection.
Recommendations
1. The academic circles and research institutions should carry out systematic scientific research on the survival status of the East Asian and the Indo-Pacific Neophocaena to the relevant departments' agenda as soon as possible. Marine Neophocaena protection linkage mechanism should be established, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs as the main coordination unit and a corresponding protection committee.
2. The pollution of returning passage of East Asian and Indo-Pacific Neophocaena should be linked to that of the river channel and ecological destruction.
3. “East Asian and Indo-Pacific Neophocaena” publicity and protection should be promoted in primary and secondary schools by the local education bureaus in the coastal regions.
4. The protection of “East Asian and Indo-Pacific Neophocaena” should be in line with the comprehensive strategy of national marine ecological protection, such as ecological protection in coastal areas of China.
5. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs should take the lead in guiding the fishing authorities of agricultural and rural bureaus in various coastal areas of China to strengthen the supervision and management of fishermen's by-catch of “East Asian and Indo-PacificNeophocaena” and take corresponding protection measures.
6. The daily work of reserves and the funds of the reserves should be arranged, coordinated and raised by the relevant departments of the local municipal governments. And the reserve is operated as the key window for the construction of the local marine ecological civilization.
7. All relevant government departments, civil organizations, colleges and universities, all sectors of society, marine protected areas and marine public welfare foundations should jointly take action on the conservation of species of the East Asian and the Indo-Pacific Neophocaena.
The protection of East Asian and Indo-Pacific Neophocaena is of great strategic significance for China and the world alike.
Here we continue to invite people from all works of life to actively contribute to China’s relevant construction. Please send your suggestions to the email box: v31@cbcgdf.org. Please indicate the subject of the mail and file name as follows: 2021 Two Sessions Motions/Proposals + name + Recommendations on …. We look forward to hearing from you.
Translator/Yanjun
NOTE
Two Sessions Motions/Proposals Meeting is a dialogue platform for multiple stakeholders, held by CBCGDF before the convening of the annual Two Sessions. Through this platform, hundreds of motions/proposals have been received, of which dozens from environmental volunteers, scientists, front-line conservationists, grassroot organizations, ethnic minorities, local communities, and other stakeholders have been adopted, greatly facilitating government decision making process.
Original Chinese article
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/RizBdxzqTU3WZT68VvO3AQ
Contribution
https://www.paypal.me/CBCGDFChina
http://www.cbcgdf.org/English/ConfirmDonaTion/0.html