Communication, Education & Public Awareness

Celebrating Biodiversity Day in China


Complete report available here.       


Activities to Celebrate IBD (May 22, 2006) Organized in the Great People's Hall of Beijing



On May 22, SEPA, EU and UNDP jointly organized today activities to celebrate IBD in the Great People's Hall. It was also a ceremony to launch China-EU biodiversity project and China Biodiversity Partnerships Framework Project B. Present at this ceremony were SEPA Vice Minister Wu Xiaoqing and Mr. Franze Jessen, Deputy Representative of the EU Delegation in China. Participants of this ceremony included representatives from the World Bank, FAO, UNDP, some embassies such as of UK, France, Finland and Norway, NGOs, private sector as well as those from member departments of the National Coordinating Committee for Implementing CBD and some representatives from academia and local governments.

May 22 of this year is the thirteenth International Biodiversity Day. Its theme is to "Protect Biodiversity in Drylands", which was established in response to the UN's decision to designate 2006 as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. The arid and semi-arid areas of the whole world accounts for 47% of the total area of the planet's surface. These areas not only have rich biodiversity, but also inhabit about a population of about 200 million people. The precipitation varies greatly in these arid areas, making ecosystems there very vulnerable. Human activities, in particular overexploitation of resources, led to changes in habitats and degradation of up to 20% of ecosystems in arid areas and accelerated desertification. As a result, 2311 species are endangered and a loss of over 4 billion USD of agricultural products caused every year. Social, economic and political pressures also increased as well. In China, arid and semi-arid areas account for 52.2% of its total land area. Biodiversity in these vast areas in China also faces severe challenges and many species are being endangered.

The Chinese government has been attaching great importance to biodiversity conservation. China ratified CBD in 1993. For more than a decade, China has been undertaking a series of activities to implement this international treaty and making efforts to conserve biodiversity. Institutionally China has established a coordinating committe headed by SEPA and involving 22 government departments and institutions. In 2003, China also established an interministerial joint framework for protection of biological resources, which is headed by SEPA and involves 17 government departments and institutions. The purpose of this mechanism is to strengthen the protection and management of biological resources. In early 2005, SEPA developed together with 8 other departments a Plan for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Resources (2006-2030). The focus of this plan is to strengthen the conservation of biological resources of China as well as their sustainable use.  In 2003, the Ministry of Agriculture completed its planning for construction of seven major agricultural systems in China, one of which is the system of agricultrual resources, environment and ecology, including grassland. Six major projects being implemented by the State Forestry Administration are mostly closely related to biodiversity conservation. In 2005, SFA, together with nine departments, had completed a Plan for Conservation of Wetland (2005-2010), which covers 50% of natural wetlands in China.  All this work has effectively enhanced biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in China, making a contribution to the global efforts in this field.

China's efforts in biodiversity conservation have been strongly supported by the international community. For the past decade, China has been cooperating closely with a number of related UN organizations in this field. China also draws up experience in this field in other countries and wins financial support from various international and bilateral organizations to the work in this field, including those from UNEP, UNDP, the World Bank and GEF, which contributes significantly to the enhancement of China's capacity in conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

China Biodiversity Partnerships Framework Project is the first package grant from the GEF for national biodiversity programme. Its implementation is headed by SEPA and the Ministry of Finance and involves many government departments. The aim of this project is to establish a comprehensive, integrated and systemic mechanism and framework of cooperation for biodiversity conservation in China, which will coordinates activities of China's partners, domestic and international, in this field. This project is designed to provide guidance for international cooperation in this field in the next decade or longer. The establishment of such partnerships will generate postivie impacts on China's efforts in biodiversity conservation.

China-EU biodiversity project is the biggest ever project in the field of biodiversity between China, EU and UNDP. Its implementation is headed by SEPA and involves many government departments, local governments and relevant institutions and organizations (domestic and international), including local communities. The project is designed to strengthen China's capacity to implement CBD, through establishing networks of biodiversity monitoring and information, promoting biodiversity education and awareness and promoting the establishment of legal and policy systems related to biodiversity and their enforcement.

(Photos by Lu Yan, SEPA Information Center)


2006年5月22日国际生物多样性日纪念活动在北京人民大会堂举行
2006-05-22



5月22日,国家环境保护总局、欧盟和联合国开发计划署在人民大会堂联合举行国际生物多样性日纪念活动及中国-欧盟生物多样性项目和中国生物多样性伙伴关系框架B档准备金项目的启动仪式。国家环保总局副局长吴晓青、欧洲委员会驻华副代表弗兰斯·叶森(Franz Jessen)先生出席了本次会议。世界银行、联合粮农组织、联合国开发计划署等联合国系统代表,部分欧盟成员国,英国、法国、芬兰、挪威等驻华使馆和合作机构的代表、非政府组织的代表、私营部门的代表,中国履行《生物多样性公约》工作协调组的成员部门和单位及国土资源部、水利部,部分省(市、自治区)的代表、科研机构的代表等参加了本次活动。

今年的5月22日是第13个“国际生物多样性日”,其主题“保护干旱地区的生物多样性”积极响应了联合国将2006年确定为“国际沙漠和荒漠化年”的决定。全球的干旱和半干旱地区占到陆地表面的47%,这些地区不仅拥有丰富的生物多样性资源,而且还生活着大约2亿人口。干旱地区生态系统降雨类型变化无常,生态系统非常脆弱。人类活动,特别是对资源的过度开发利用,导致生境变化,造成干旱地区多达20%的生态系统的退化和荒漠化的加剧,2311个物种濒危,每年农业产品损失40多亿美元,社会、经济和政治压力增大。在中国,干旱和半干旱地区占到了国土面积的52.5%,同样,这一广大地区独特的生物多样性也面临着严峻的威胁,许多物种处于濒危状态。

中国政府一直重视生物多样性的保护工作。1993年,中国政府正式批准了《生物多样性公约》。十几年来开展了一系列履行国际公约和保护生物多样性的工作,成立了由国家环保总局牵头、国务院22个部门和单位参加的中国履行《生物多样性公约》工作协调组,2003年国务院批准成立了以国家环保总局牵头、国务院17个部委组成的生物物种资源部际联席会议制度,以加强对生物物种资源的保护和管理的协调。2005年初,国家环保总局牵头组织八个相关部门的专家编制《全国生物物种资源保护与利用规划(2006-2030)》,其重点是加强生物物种资源保护。并在保护的基础上持续利用生物物种资源。农业部于2003年完成《农业七大体系建设规划》,其中的一个重要内容是“农业资源和生态环境保护体系”,该体系明确提出了对草原的保护。国家林业局实施的六大工程与生物多样性保护密切相关,是直接保护生物多样性的大型工程。2005年,国家林业局还会同九个相关部门共同编制了《全国湿地保护工程实施规划(2005-2010年)》,该项规划将使50%的自然湿地得到有效保护。这些工作有力地促进了生物多样性保护和可持续利用,为世界生物多样性保护做出了应有的贡献。 中国的生物多样性保护也得到了国际社会的广泛关注和大力支持。随着中国改革开放的深入,中国与联合国相关机构开展了紧密的合作,引进国外成功的经验和先进技术,争取国际资金,世界银行、联合国开发计划署、联合国环境规划署、全球环境基金等都对中国的生物多样性保护与管理能力的提高做出了重要贡献。

  “中国生物多样性伙伴关系框架项目”是由国家环保总局和财政部牵头,国内相关部委参加,利用全球环境基金赠款在生物多样性领域开展的第一个规划性项目。该项目旨在通过建立全面、综合、系统的生物多样性保护合作机制和合作框架,协调国内外合作伙伴在中国的活动,指导我国今后十年乃至更长时间的生物多样性保护项目的国际合作。这一伙伴关系的建立,将对中国的生物多样性保护产生重要的积极影响。

  “中国-欧盟生物多样性项目”是中国政府、欧盟和联合国发展计划署在生物多样性领域最大的合作项目,是国家环保总局牵头,国家相关部委、各级地方政府和国内外相关机构或组织广泛参与的协作项目。该项目旨在通过加强中国履行《生物多样性公约》的能力建设,建立生物多样性保护信息监测体系,扩大生物多样性保护宣传,推动中国生物多样性保护相关政策和法律体系的建设。


会场全景