Mysterious recluse

Author: Li Xiangtao
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: This series of books introduces all rare and endangered wildlife in China in a lively and engaging language, categorizing them by their morphology, habits, living environments, and interesting anecdotes, while calling on people to protect and rescue these friends of humanity. Since the emergence of life on Earth, species have undergone a long evolutionary process spanning 3 billion years. The formation and extinction of species were originally objective laws of nature, with rates of formation and extinction that were once balanced. However, due to human activities such as indiscriminate hunting, deforestation, and environmental pollution, this balance has been disrupted, accelerating the rate of species extinction. According to surveys, the average extinction rate of birds over the past 1 million years has been one species every 50 years; in recent decades, it has been one species every two years; and since the 20th century, one species has gone extinct every year. The situation for other groups of wildlife is largely similar. Among species on the brink of extinction, many have not yet been classified or thoroughly studied by scientists, leaving humans with almost no knowledge of them. The genetic potential stored in these species is immense, and they may become valuable resources for new food, medicine, chemical raw materials, pest control, building materials, and fuel, among other sustainable uses. Therefore, the harm and threats posed by species extinction to the global food supply, as well as the losses and impacts on human society, are unpredictable and irreparable. At the same time, the crisis of wildlife extinction serves as a warning to protect natural environments, as an environment unsuitable for wildlife may one day become unsuitable for human survival as well. Thus, effectively protecting wildlife and vigorously rescuing rare and endangered species have become urgent tasks before humanity. As the American Indian writer Chief Seattle wrote in 1854,
China possesses vast territory and maritime areas, with complex climatic conditions and diverse natural environments, providing excellent habitats for a wide variety of wildlife, making it one of the countries with the highest diversity of wildlife in the world. Statistics show that China has tens of thousands of wildlife species, among which there are over 4,400 vertebrates, accounting for more than 10% of the world's total, including over 450 species of mammals, more than 1,200 species of birds, over 320 species of reptiles, over 210 species of amphibians, and more than 2,000 species of fish. Many of these species are renowned worldwide as rare and endemic. In terms of zoogeographical distribution, China is home to species from both the Palearctic and Oriental biogeographical realms, a unique advantage that is rarely found elsewhere in the world.
In 1988, China published the first law in its history dedicated to the protection of wildlife resources. There are over 400 species of wildlife under national key protection, most of which are rare, localized, endangered, or unique to China, and are generally prohibited from being hunted. However, if wildlife needs to be captured, bred, exhibited, or utilized for scientific research, breeding, exhibition, or transportation for special purposes, approval from the competent administrative authorities for wildlife must be obtained.
China has also joined various international conventions and organizations and signed protection agreements with relevant countries, promoting international exchanges and cooperation in wildlife conservation. Notably, the Chinese government officially joined the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1981. This important international convention aims to promote the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife resources through a licensing system, implementing comprehensive control and management over the import and export of wild animals, plants, and their products. Since joining CITES, China has assumed responsibilities for protecting wildlife species listed in Appendices I and II of the convention.
To this end, China has adopted a combination of in-situ and ex-situ conservation measures for species native to the country listed in Appendices I and II of CITES, with the establishment of nature reserves being one of the most effective in-situ conservation methods. By the end of 1995, China had established 799 nature reserves with relatively complete types, covering an area of 71.85 million hectares, accounting for approximately 7.19% of the country's total land area, forming a well-scale network of nature reserves across the nation, ensuring the preservation of many representative species and ecosystems. Additionally, China has established over 180 zoos and animal exhibits in parks, as well as more than 240 wildlife breeding centers, providing better protection for rare and endangered species such as the giant panda, Chinese alligator, Chinese sturgeon, Yangtze finless porpoise, Siberian tiger, and crested ibis. Significant efforts have also been made in wildlife conservation management, resource surveys, breeding, and scientific research, yielding remarkable achievements.
Currently, the Giant Panda Project approved by the State Council has entered full implementation, the population recovery efforts for the Père David's deer, Przewalski's horse, and saiga antelope have moved into the second phase, and rescue programs for other globally protected species like the golden pheasant and South China tiger are also under implementation.
The protection of wildlife reflects the scientific and cultural literacy of a nation and a people. Due to China's large population and relatively underdeveloped cultural and educational sectors, the environmental awareness of the entire population still needs improvement. Therefore, public education is an ongoing and arduous task. Making the general public, especially young people, aware of the morphology, habits, and value of wildlife is a crucial way to understand the significance of wildlife conservation and to raise awareness of protecting wildlife.
With this in mind, we have compiled this series of books. Unlike other similar publications, this series does not merely provide isolated and brief introductions to species listed on the national key protected wildlife list. Instead, it follows the evolutionary history of each animal group as a main thread, offering comprehensive descriptions of the name, classification, subspecies differentiation, morphology, structure, historical evolution, distribution, habitat, habits, diet, reproduction, economic significance, current conservation status, and related nature reserves for every species listed. Additionally, when introducing each species, the book briefly explains the characteristics of related species and entire groups, as well as those listed in Appendices I and II of CITES.
Furthermore, the series collects many interesting anecdotes about animals in daily life, striving to create a popular science reading material that combines scientific rigor, knowledge, and readability. At the same time, it serves as a comprehensive and scientifically sound reference book for China's key protected wildlife. Each species of nationally key protected wildlife is accompanied by exquisite illustrations, along with numerous color photographs, achieving a visually engaging effect. Through this series, readers can gain a deeper and more complete understanding of China's key protected wildlife and related biological knowledge, while also enjoying the beauty of wildlife through vivid visuals.