Pangolin is one of the most endangered wild animals in the world. Driven by its huge market demand for food and medicinal use and huge economic benefits, it is also considered to be the mammal suffers the most from illegal trade in the world. This has brought serious threat to the survival of pangolins. 2018 is “A Counting Year for Pangolins” of CBCGDF. CBCGDF will take stock of pangolins and their products that have been punishable by customs and other agencies in the past few years, and systematically understand their whereabouts and uses. The types and stocks of pangolin products currently being sold, the sales and sources of pangolins, and the number and changes of pangolins that have been in contact with wild animal rescue centers, breeding institutions, and scientific research institutions in the past, as well as the use of pangolins and their products in the field of Chinese medicine, all the information will be made available to the public.

As a leading Chinese non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, the protection of endangered species pangolins has been the focus of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF)’s work. At present, the Chinese pangolin, which ever widely existed in China, is experiencing many extinctions, and it has been difficult to trace. In 2016, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) also listed all eight pangolins in the world in Appendix I, on a global scale. The international pangolin trade is prohibited. However, smuggling pangolins are still rampant in the world. In many countries, law enforcement is not enough. Most of the pangolin trade has violated CITES and the laws of many countries.

(Photo source: Internet)

To change the situation, CBCGDF in the series of work to promote the protection of pangolins in China. It is an important part to inquire or apply for the disclosure of relevant government information in the forestry departments of various provinces and cities.

Judging from the current inquiry or part of the investigation, the government information disclosure performance of the relevant provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government is still unsatisfactory. From the random inspection of the government information disclosure of the forestry departments in various parts of the country, it is about 1/5 of the good work done. Except for a few official websites searching for government administrative licensing information is difficult, more other forestry departments have relevant information disclosure. But quite incomplete. When the CBCGDF staff called the forestry departments of some provinces and cites, they found that some telephone calls were not answered many times, and they were ineffective.

National Forestry and Grassland Administration official website screenshot.

According to the “Regulation of the People’s Republic of China on the Disclosure of Government Information” promulgated by the State Council in 2007, CBCGDF conducted a survey on the disclosure of administrative licensing information of forestry authorities in various provinces and cities in China in 2015, focusing on the investigation of the administrative license for wild animals. As a result, it was found that the information on the administrative license for wildlife in China was not well-documented. After that, in the response to the CBCGDF legal application for information disclosure, only 54.8% of the forestry departments in the country responded according to regulations.

In the work in 2018, CBCGDF hopes that the relevant forestry departments will make significant improvements in its follow-up work in this area compared to 2015. The relevant contents of CBCGDF inquiring or applying for information disclosure to the forestry departments of various provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions include:

1.    Is there any publicity of the results of the administrative license on the official websites of the relevant departments?

2.    In the publication of the results of the administrative license published on the official websites of the relevant departments, is there any administrative license about the state’s key protected wild animals (including all approved pangolins breeding, sale, transportation, purchase, and utilization of their products) license.

Chongqing Forestry Administration has very limited information.

The Forestry Departments of Shanxi Province is open to the admnistrative license of wild animals, but the click doesn't work.

Responses of 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities regarding application for disclosure of government information.

Original Chinese articles:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/6380.html