[Editor's Note:] Lately, CBCGDF colleagues answered the calls of the colleagues from IUCN/WCPA/OECMs, in terms of the “OECMs | Second Interim update from COP 14” and submitted relevant materials of efforts toward the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

This is remarkable because following the adoption of OECM guidelines, an important next step is to comprehensively map and document the conservation interventions that may ultimately be recognized as OECMs. OECMs will help recognize important contributions to the conservation of biodiversity occurring outside PAs and generate a range of important innovations across landscapes and seascapes in the run-up to and beyond 2020.

Also, a progress has been made at CBD COP 14: Agenda Item 24 (‘Spatial Planning, Protected Areas and OECMs’) was considered in Working Group very recently. The Chair requested that Parties provide written submissions to the Secretariat.

CBCGDF is an important member of IUCN, Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, the Secretary-General of CBCGDF is a member of WCPA as well as its OECMs (Task Force on Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures). Hence, as our international colleagues are updating on the process and substance of the draft decision know as a conference room paper (CRP), and they are making their assessment now and looking forward to our thoughts, CBCGDF colleagues have provided our work efforts as follows:

China Conservation Area (for something at somewhere) a.k.a CCAfa;

Oppose Electro Fishing Union of CBCGDF (public participation in the Conservation);

Anti-poaching and illegal wildlife trade;

Say NO to inappropriate wildlife release

China’s youth generation’s participating in biodiversity conservation

CBCGDF FDY Fish Protection Center (Oppose Electro Fishing Union)

The CBCGDF FDY Fish Protection Center (Oppose Electro Fishing Union), headquartered in Zigong City, Sichuan Province, was launched and officially founded in March 2017 at the initiative of Mr. Zhu Kai. It is a non-profit public welfare group established with the consent of CBCGDF to resist illegal fishing, to protect indigenous fish species, to protect aquatic animals, and to protect water resources.

At present, 11,000 environmental protection volunteers have joined, and 45 volunteer service stations have been set up, bringing together oppose electro fishing volunteers from 12 provinces and cities and nearly 70 counties and cities nationwide. It is the first professional public welfare group in China that resists illegal fishing and protection of aquatic animals.

The core tasks of the Center are:

1.    Resist the use of electro fishing, poisonous baits, explosions and other illegal fishing practices to protect aquatic animals.

2.    Organize patrols and protect natural waters, provide clues to illegal activities to relevant departments, and participate in helping to combat illegal fishing.

3.    Establish an oppose electro fishing volunteer action network.

4.    Advocate and promote public participation, publicize and popularize aquatic animal protection knowledge.

Since its establishment, the Center has made positive contributions to local fishery protection and environmental protection by organizing volunteer patrols, publicity and assistance to relevant government departments. The total patrol mileage exceeded 120,000 kilometers. A total of more than 3,300 illegal electro fishing personnel was arrested, and more than 2,800 sets of electro fishing equipment and more than 4,700 illegal nets were seized. The relevant departments of many cities were successfully assisted. The rampant situation of illegal fishers has been hit to a high degree.

During this period, a proposal for amending the Fisheries Law and the Criminal Law was written and handed over to a representative of the National People’s Congress. She was jointly represented by four representatives and submitted to the National People’s Congress for consideration. At the end of 2017, the Center began to collect the relevant information on issues of illegal sales of electro fishing equipment on the internet and reported and negotiated with many e-commerce platforms. The online environment has been improved. Positive achievements in the protection of aquatic animals in China have been made! In 2018, the OEFU was invited to participate in the “2018 Fishery Sword” launching ceremony and the “Save the Yangtze River” launching ceremony organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.

The Center is actively working to build a big data tool that is closely related to aquatic animal protection. It is also the only professional analyzing software in China that focuses on combating illegal fishing.

The Founder of the OEFU Mr. Zhu Kai (left)

The SG of CBCGDF Dr. Zhou Jinfeng (right) exchanges with Mr. Zhu Kai. (Photo credit: CBCGDF)

(Photos credit: CBCGDF OEFU)

A typical story:

In the spring of 2018, the CBCGDF OEFU and the Hunan Satellite TV program reported in detail on the “Forbidden Fishing Period, Cruise 96 Hours” in Sichuan Province. The CBCGDF volunteers’ efforts can be seen in the relevant video footages screenshots.

During the cruise, Mr. Zhu Kai received the news: in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, illegal fishing personnel are likely to take destructive explosive detonators, 20 detonators plus mixed nitric acid, can easily destroy a house. Once it is put into the river, it will have a devastating impact on the protected area of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Volunteers and reporters quickly rushed to the area to understand the situation.

In order to be familiar with the topography, a group of people drove around the island. Through inspections, the deployment policy was based on evidence collection, supplemented by arrests, and two sets of plans were formulated. The first set adopted triangular squats, respectively, at docks and dilapidated houses, as well as stopped opposite the islands. Three-point surveillance monitored all the three waters flowing through the island; the other set was to use the assault boat to cooperate with the local fishery administration's arrest plan to further obtain evidence, and finally formed a situation of encirclement.

The difficulty of the Oppose Electro Fishing Action and the rampant illegal electro fishing activities are not only related with the chain of interests behind these issues, but also due to the lack of the legal awareness of the public and the weak awareness of ecological protection, these are all aspects that need our attention. We surely cannot stand on the sidelines and take no action.

(Photos credit: screen captures of the tv show)

By / Niu Jingmei