Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Recently, we found a very serious mistake when we visited the official website of the Endangered Species Scientific Commission of the People's Republic of China, which belongs to your organization: the site defines the species of the pangolin as CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) ) Appendix II grade, national secondary protected wild animals.
However, according to our understanding, the CITES Appendices, which has been in force in 2017, has upgraded all eight pangolin species in the world from Appendix II (trade permitted, but controlled) to Appendix I (trade permitted only for exceptional circumstances).
The Endangered Species Scientific Commission's mission should be to provide the public with accurate information on the timely identification and understanding of endangered wild species, but this does not seem to be the case. We certainly have full trust in the authority and ability of you and your subordinate Commission, and we will not question it. But if we don’t understand the truth about the pangolin’s CITES rating, will it get the wrong cognitive from this Commission of your unit?
Of course, we are not the people who will harm the pangolins, but what about those who are poaching and illegally selling wild pangolins everywhere? Will they be more devastating to the pangolins as an endangered species because of the untrue information published by this Commission of your unit, thus causing a more devastating disaster for the wild pangolin population that currently exists in our country? And, how many criminals will be lucky enough to escape the more serious punishment because of this wrong rating? The possible consequences of these are unimaginable. So, why has this rating been in effect for nearly two years today, the official website data is still not updated? At the same time, as a direct interface with CITES' rating, the information posted by the Commission on the website has a large impact on the behavior of other institutions. For example, on the official website of the General Administration of Customs, there is a piece of news on September 26, 2018, which still believes that pangolins fall within the scope of Appendix II.
Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants. They are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research. In these exceptional cases, trade may take place provided it is authorized by the granting of both an import permit and an export permit (or re-export certificate). There is a huge difference in the degree of trade allowed for Appendix I and Appendix II, so it should not be misleading that public pangolins are included in Appendix II. This misleading will likely lead to more pangolins entering the market through illegal trade, stimulating market demand, thus placing wild pangolins in more dangerous situations. Only by properly viewing and publishing their importance to the world and humanity can the public's awareness of the protection of endangered species be stronger.
The placement of pangolins in CITES Appendix I means the unremitting efforts of those who protect the pangolins around the world, and what is the significance of such results if they are erroneously announced by the authorities? How many people can understand the truth?
At the same time, people also saw that in June 2019, an account of social media Sina Weibo was certified as "Zeng Yan, the Expert from the Endangered Species Scientific Commission, PRC", slandered environmental organizations that protect pangolins, and even inciting others to attack the real environmental protection organizations that protect pangolins. When combined, it seems that this and the information on the Endangered Species Scientific Commission's website are incorrect, and it is not known whether the two are related. We hope that you will pay attention to it and explore the roots of possible ideological fields in this area - to explain to young students and to explain to the public in our country and the world.
As a citizen, we believe in the information released by the authorities and trust you. Being at the post, one will worry about any matter concerned therewith. The Endangered Species Scientific Commission under your unit does have serious delays in updating the information, which is not only irresponsible for the pangolin species in the world but also irresponsible for the social public interest of our country. It’s a betrayal of everyone’s trust.
The overall significance of biodiversity conservation and ecological civilization construction is significant. The significance of the pangolin species is far more important than the size of its body. Every year, many species around the world are on the verge of extinction. We really don't want the species and life that are being saved by humans to fail because of this kind of misinformation.
Therefore, we sincerely recommend that the official website of The Endangered Species Scientific Commission in your organization promptly correct the wrong information, rectify the work as soon as possible, and fulfill its obligations.
A group of college students who care about the survival of pangolins
(Photo credit: CBCGDF)
Original Chinese version:
By / Maggie