Visitors flock into the habitat of relic gull, traffic police investigate vehicle relating to clams digging (I)
2019/5/21 16:26:00 本站

 [Editor’s Note:] As of now, China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) and its China Conservation Area for Relic Gulls at Tianjin (CCAfa) team have been working hard for environmental protection and publicity education in the Baguatan of Relic Gull's habitat for nearly ten days. However, it is very worrying that the crowds who go to the tidal flat to dig clams suddenly increased again with the arrival of the last weekend.

 

Faced with the hard work of the volunteers who have worked tirelessly, even the children from the CBCGDF Children Working Group (Green Children community) in Tianjin have joined the team of protection and publicity, many people who "catch up with the sea" either do not agree or deliberately avoid.

 

Catching up with the sea and pick up the clams was a wonderful thing. But when it threatens the survival of endangered species, the nature changes.

 

This tidal flat in Tianjin is a rare habitat for the national first-class protected animal relic gulls. Now that the relics gulls have experienced habitat loss, they are now at risk of losing this habitat.

 

It is reported that a large number of people flocked to this tidal flat to dig up the clams, mainly affected by the short videos posted on the TikTok App. In response to this problem, CBCGDF has urgently sent a formal letter to the parent company of the TikTok App last week, tried to urge them to remove these videos with adverse effects. In this regard, we can't help but think, that the similar digital platforms which alike TikTok, how should they fulfill their corporate social responsibility? For example, is there any corresponding emergency response plan for the ecological crisis caused by the current spread of such videos?

 

While waiting for the TikTok App side to respond further, CBCGDF has also sent letters to the relevant departments recommending that the China Conservation Area for Relic Gulls be included in the ecological red line and nature reserve in Tianjin. Organizations and government departments properly protect and mitigate habitat crises through more stringent and effective protection measures.

 

Visitors flock into the habitat of relic gull, traffic police investigate vehicle relating to clam digging


Original news article:

https://app.bjtitle.com/8816/newshow.php?newsid=5312607&mood=wx&typeid=&did=356416475466244&ntype=0


By / Beijing Youth Daily reporter Dong Zhenjie


Relic gull, the first-class national protected animal, is as precious as a panda. Its habitats deserve attention and conservation. Since the early of May, one habitat of relic gull, a tidal wetland located in Binhai New District of Tianjin, has been crowded with visitors who come to pick up clams for fun. Therefore, the number of clams-the staple food for relic gulls- has plummeted.

 

Currently, the management committee of Sino-Singapore Eco-City has taken various measures to curb the digging of clams, such as knowledge popularization, dissuasion and entrance closure.

 

Discovery | numerous clam-grubbers are wrongly attracted by online videos

 

China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) published an article a few days ago, calling on visitors not to dig clams on the Baguatan of Binhai, Tianjin because clam is the main food for relic gull. Any behaviors that cause excessive digging may affect gull to forage and even death.

 

On May 12, CBCGDF received a report from volunteers that since the national holiday of May Day, crowds of visitors have swarmed the Community Conservation Area for Relic Gull (CCAfa), located in the east of Tianjin Binhai highway, and dug the clams on the beach. CBCGDF volunteers hurried to Tianjin in the afternoon of May 12. The volunteer said, "0ne to two thousand visitors would dig clams and crabs on the tidal beach each day. What they have destroyed is not only the component of the marine ecosystem but also the staple food for relic gull, the first-class national protected animal."

 

CBCGDF volunteers witnessed that the coastal highway was filled with cars, and visitors with small buckets and shovels were digging clams on the beach. CBCGDF workers and volunteers tried to dissuade diggers from destroying the habitat, but the result wasn’t ideal.

 

CBCGDF’s staff mentioned that many of the visitors are misled by video platform, WeChat, etc. Visitors are from both local areas and neighboring provinces, like Heilongjiang and Shandong. CBCGDF workers watched a short video, in which the uploader was showing off basins of clams dug and calling on the viewers to follow him.

 

According to the article by CBCGDF, relic gull (Larus relictus) is a world-class endangered migratory bird and the first-class national protected animal. It is estimated by WPE5 that the gross number of relic gulls around the world is about 12,000. Since 2015, 11612 relic gulls have flown to Tianjin and wintered on the beaches because of the geographic features and ample food, accounting for over 90% of the global population.

 

In June 2016, CBCGDF volunteers realized the importance of the tidal wetland conservation to relic gulls. Therefore, CBCGDF set up a Community Conservation Area for Relic Gull (CCAfa) and worked with local volunteers together to protect the mud flat which covers an area of almost 100 square kilometers.

 

In July 2017, Tianjin Relic Gull Park was established and open to visitors, and the coastal highway separates CCA for relic gulls at Baguatan from the park.

 

Predicament | volunteers' dissuasion is unsatisfactory, and over a thousand visitors pick clams here each day.

 

There is no specialized protective institution of relic gull. Wang Jianmin, director of the CCAfa site and the ornithologists, is the volunteer who has done a lot of work to protect relic gulls.

 

Wang Jianmin said, he and other volunteers instantly reflected pertinent departments after receiving the information that a large number of visitors travel to Baguatan for digging clams. At present, the management department of Eco-City has been blocking the road to tidal flat, and volunteers have hung banners around the flat. Unfortunately, the effect is unsatisfactory.

 

The deterioration of the habitat will pose great effect not only on relic gulls but also other birds.” According to Wang Jianmin, appropriate digging is beneficial to clams’ evolution, but if thousands of visitors dig clams on the beach, then it will have an irreversible influence on the local ecosystem.

 

Wang Jianmin also said, “a large group of relic gulls fly to Tianjin and winter on the beaches from September to the next April. They breed on the lakes in Hebei, Shaanxi, and Ordos. Relic gull is an endangered animal, but there is no specialized research and protection institution.” He advises relevant departments to take actions to protect the habitat.

 

On May 19, about one thousand visitors came to Bagua beach to dig clams.” The reporter contacts Li Yunfei, a member of CBCGDF. Li Yunfei said that he hurried to Tianjin on hearing the news from local residents. He has worked with local volunteers to curb that. But their efforts are too limited to stop the rampant clam-digging.

 

CBCGDF has contacted the Bureau of Fisheries of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and Tianjin municipal forestry department, appealing to establish a protected area for relic gulls and discourage clam grubbers. CBCGDF also calls on social media not to mislead the public. The destruction of the tidal flat will have a devastating influence on relic gulls.


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By / Niu Jingmei, Wang Yanqing