Recent Trends in Forestry and Conservation of Biodiversity in China

Abstract

Despite the transformative effects of millennia of human occupation, China remains a tremendous storehouse of biological diversity. The extremely mountainous terrain has fostered speciation by continuously isolating populations of plants and animals. This topography (combined with the large area of the country that is sub-tropical and tropical) also provided refuge for many taxonomic groups during the major climate change-induced mass extinctions of the Pleistocene era, as well as the more recent Ice Ages. As a result, China is one of the world's major centres of biological diversity (or biodiversity), a term which refers to the variety of ecosystem types, the number of different of species and the genetic variability within a single species. In certain respects, thousands of years of human habitation has actually enhanced this diversity. Rice, soybeans, oranges, tea and many other crops were first domesticated in China, and generation upon generation of careful selection by farmers and pastoralists have made it one the earth's richest centres of crop and domesticated animal germplasm. The country's variety of wild plants and animals is greater than that of either North America or Europe, and equal to one-eighth of all species on earth.

Collective action in China’s recent collective forestry property rights reform

“…This is on the basis that forestry is probably more important in China than it is in any other country in the World. This is in part because of the sheer diversity of forest ecosystems, in part because China's forests make a significant input to local economic activity and provide a significant proportion of energy for heating rural households, and in part because they are a scarce resource in terms of timber volume per capita (Harkness, 1998;Han et al, 2014). This multiple economic, social and environmental role has meant that there has long been a struggle to achieve a balance between timber production and forest protection.…”

Local people's perceptions as decision support for protected area management in Wolong Biosphere Reserve, China

“…The conflicts between reserve managers and local people are thus exacerbated (Ouyang et al, 2002). Widespread and escalating people-park conflicts, in many cases, have caused damage to valuable habitats, ecosystems, flora and fauna that are supposed to be protected (Harkness, 1998;Coggins, 2000;Han, 2000).…”

“…Most research on China's protected areas tended to focus on flora and fauna and addressed problems from the perspective of reserve managers or governments (Han, 2000;Miao, 2000;Wu et al, 2002). This typical topdown management style has marginalized local people's benefits and paid little attention to the role of local participation in protected area planning, management, and decision-making (Harkness, 1998;Miao, 2000).…”

Satellite images show China going green

“…4). The GGP was developed partly in response to the consequences of land-use changes during the time of Chairman Mao Zedong, notably the huge areas logged to provide fuel and construction materials during the Great Leap Forward programme, and largescale conversions of often marginal, sloping land to agricultural use in the 1960s and 1970s to enhance local self-sufficiency -a change that caused severe erosion problems 5 .…”