Protection Strategy and Action Plan for Biodiversity Priority Area in Wu Xuecan Senior Engineer and Vice President of Yunnan Institute of Environmental Science

28th July 2015 Yunnan Overall Situation of Biodiversity Conservation in Yunnan

Report outline Identification of Biodiversity Priority Areas in Yunnan

Protection Strategy and Action Plan for Biodiversity

1. Overall Situation of Biodiversity Conservation in Yunnan

1.1 Conservation of Yunnan’s biodiversity is attached importance by government at all levels and attracts high attention at home and abroad.  The central government requires Yunnan to be the bellwether of ecological civilization construction.  Green development is the only way for differentiation strategy of Yunnan, which has taken many importance measure in biodiversity.  Yunnan's biodiversity conservation is of great significance of international conventions; many species, natural heritage sites, important ecotypes are highly concerned at home and board.

1. Overall Situation of Biodiversity Conservation in Yunnan

1.2 Yunnan’s biodiversity has characteristics of richness , uniqueness and vulnerability

 Both numbers of the higher plants and vertebrates species approach or exceed half of the whole nation

 Rare species resources and the species numbers of herbs, flowers, fungi rank first around the nation

 Yunnan’s ecosystem types are diverse and unique, forming a microcosm of the world's ecosystem types

1. Overall Situation of Biodiversity Conservation in Yunnan

1.2 Yunnan’s biodiversity has characteristics of richness , uniqueness and vulnerability

One of the areas with the most widely distributed endemic genera; with a large number of relic species

There are a large distribution of endemic species, and in which there are 4,008 endemic species and 4,509 narrow-area species of higher plants

1. Overall Situation of Biodiversity Conservation in Yunnan

1.2 Yunnan’s biodiversity has characteristics of richness , uniqueness and vulnerability

With a great variety of wild species, while of small number and narrow distribution area, these species are vulnerable to be endangered or even extinct in the case of natural disasters or man-made destruction.

Most species in Yunnan has a quite narrow range of distribution, 64.1% species distributed in only 1–5 counties and 46.0% endemic species distributed in only the range of one county.

1. Overall Situation of Biodiversity Conservation in Yunnan

1.3 Measures already taken and achievements

 Issue the “Protection Strategy and Action Plan for Yunnan‘s Biodiversity”  Increase the construction of nature reserve-based protected areas  Continuously implement "natural forest conservation", "grain for green" and other major ecological construction projects  Perform rescuing conservation of a number of rare species, such as Asian elephants, rhinopithecus bieti, and minimum viable populations  Introduce ecological compensation policies, and demonstrate the influence of biodiversity in major engineering construction activities

1. Overall Situation of Biodiversity Conservation in Yunnan

1.4 Remaining difficulties and challenges

 Urbanization and economic greening bring major opportunities to the conservation of biodiversity  Historical debts and the uncertainty of the future challenge the conservation of biodiversity

1. Habitat destruction (loss, fragmentation and degradation) 2. Over-exploitation of biological The whole resources situation may improve, but 3. Artificial ecosystems in substitution some areas of natural ecosystems may turn for 4. Environmental pollution the worse 5. Invasion of exotic species 6. Climate change

2. Identification of Biodiversity Priority Areas

2.1 NBSAP

 Priority areas in Xishuangbanna: 17 counties and cities of Mengzi, Pingbian, Yuanyang, Honghe, Jinping, Lvchun, Hekou, Wenshan, Xichou, Malipo, Maguan, Simao, Mojiang, Jiangcheng, , Menghai, Mengla ;  Priority areas in mountain regions of southwestern Guangxi: Funing ;  Priority area for biodiversity conservation in southern section region of : Tengchong, Longyang (Baoshan), Yunlong, Yulong, Gucheng District, Dali, Binchuan, Jianchuan, Heqing, Eryuan, Ninglang, , Fugong, Gongshan, Lanping, Shangri-La, Deqin, Weixi (18 counties);  Priority area for biodiversity conservation in karst areas of western Guangxi and southern : Shizong, Guangnan, Funing (3 counties).  A total of 38 counties.

2. Identification of Biodiversity Priority Areas

2.1 NBSAP China is arranging and promoting the implementation of "Priority Area Conservation Planning”

Including the refinement of borders; establishing regulatory policy measures, investigation, monitoring and evaluation, construction of conservation network, conservation and poverty reduction demonstration, industrial restructuring and layout, regulatory capacity building and so on.

2. Identification of Biodiversity Priority Areas

2.2 YBSAP YBSAP has identified 6 primary priority areas and 18 secondary priority areas: 16 prefectures and cities, 101 counties, cities and districts, with a total area of about 95,000 km2, covering 23.8% of the land area in Yunnan. (I) Alpine and valley coniferous forests in northwest Yunnan (II) Tropical rain forests in the south border region of Yunnan (III) Southeast monsoon broadleaved forest in Southeast Yunnan karst (IV) Humid evergreen broadleaved forest in Wumeng Mountain in northeast Yunnan (V) Humid evergreen broadleaved forest in Midstream Lancang River － Mid-mountain (VI) Wetland in Yunnan Plateau 3. Protection Strategy and Action Plan for Biodiversity Priority Area

3.1 Protection of key areas 3.2 Protection of important species 3.3 Protection of important habitats 3.4 Focus areas and actions 3.5 Implementation of action plans

Strategy and Action Plan－Selection of Priority Area for Inclusion in 5-year Plan

Indexes and Methods

SP: Species value. HAB: Habitat value. SOL:Social-economic value. CC: Climate vulnerability value. STD: Normalization of data. i: the number of exiting priority area. Strategy and Action Plan－SelectionTechnical of Assistance Priority Area for Inclusion in 5-year Plan

Comprehensive weighted score results of all indexes for 15 mountain ecosystems

English name PV RANK 2.5 Honghe River Moist Rain Forest 0.6354 1 1.3 Warm-Temperate Coniferous Forests in Yunling Mountain Range 0.5726 2 3. Southeast Monsoon Broadleaved Forest in Southeast Yunnan Karst 0.4935 3 1.1 Cool-Temperate Coniferous Forests in Northern Section of 0.4789 4 1.2 Cold-Temperate Coniferous Forests in Meri Snow Mountain-Biluo Snow Mountain 0.4611 5 2.1 Humid Evergreen Broadleaved Forests in Mid-mountain of Gaoligong Mountains Southern 0.3986 6 Section 2.3 Nanting River Tropical Rain Forest 0.3933 7 5.2 Humid Evergreen Broadleaved Forest in Wuliang Mountain Mid-mountain 0.3795 8 5.3 Humid Evergreen Broadleaved Forest in Ailao Mountains Mid-mountain 0.3412 9 2.4 Xishuangbanna Tropical Rain Forest 0.3186 10 1.4 Cold-Temperate Coniferous Forests in Shangri-La Mountain Plateau 0.2582 11 5.1 Broad Valley Evergreen Broadleaved Forest in Lancang River Mid-mountain 0.2495 12 4.1 Humid Evergreen Broadleaved Forest in Wumeng Mountain 0.2182 13 4.2 Downstream Jinsha River Dry-hot Valley Region 0.1640 14 2.2 Tongbiguan Tropical Rain Forest 0.0467 15 Strategy and Action Plan－Selection of Priority Area for Inclusion in 5-year Plan

Comprehensive weighted score results of all indexes for 15 mountain ecosystems

Strategy and Action Plan－Selection of Priority Area for Inclusion in 5-year Plan

Comprehensive weighted score results of all indexes for 3 wetland ecosystems

English name Score rating 6.2 Lake District in Northwest Yunnan Plateau 1 6.1 Lake District in Central Yunnan Plateau 2 6.3 Lake District in Northeast Yunnan Plateau 3 Strategy and Action Plan－Protection Strategy in Priority Area

Honghe River Moist Rain Forest: with sections along the frontier, such as Luchun, Giang Thanh, Pinbian and Maguan as the core, enhance the management capacity building of nature reserve, focus on protecting the vertical ecosystem in tropical montane, strengthen the protection of the remaining primary vegetation in river valley as well as the protection of important species unique and mainly found in such priority area, and intensify the biodiversity survey and monitoring in regions along the frontier.

Cold-Temperate/Warm-Temperate Coniferous Forests in Yunling Mountain Range: enhance the protection of primary zonal vegetation, especially the protection of unique vegetation types in alpine ecosystem. With existing nature reserve as the core, build an ecological corridor along the mountain ridge and river valley, and protect the basis for North and South communication and differentiation of flora and fauna. Enhance the protection of stenochoric special species in this area, such as rhinopithecus bieti, musk deer, pheasant, alpine plant, such as azalea, pedicularis verticillata and orchidaceae, and endemic plants, such as acer yangbiense, mastixia chinensis with small fruit, trachycarpus princeps and hibiscus aridicola. Strategy and Action Plan－Protection Strategy in Priority Area Xishuangbanna Tropical Rain Forest Priority Area: enhance the protection of tropical rain forest, tropical monsoon forest, south subtropical monsoon evergreen broadleaved forest ecosystem and Lancang river basin. Enhance the protection of keystone species, such as unique primate, Asian elephant and buffalo, and tropical rare plant resources. Protect the biodiversity with national traditional knowledge. Southeast Monsoon Broadleaved Forest in Southeast Yunnan Karst: enhance the protection of subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest and karst forest vegetation, conduct cave ecosystem survey and monitoring, and protect the remaining karst forest fragment. With magnoliaceae as priority, enhance the protection of unique phytogroup, conduct monitoring and protection of keystone animal groups, such as nycticebus pygmaeus and Mrs. Hume's pheasant. Strategy and Action Plan－Protection Strategy in Priority Area

Tongbiguan Tropical Rain Forest: enhance the protection of ecosystems such as monsoon rain forest, montane rain forest and semi-evergreen monsoon forest. Reasonably plan the land utilization, enhance the regulation of small and medium-sized hydroelectric development, strengthen the protection of unique biological groups, such as red slender loris, hoolock leuconedys, monitor lizard, rana rugulosa wiegmann, and symbolic protective phytogroups, such as calycopteris floribunda, diploknema yunnanensis, platycerium, nyssa yunnanensis and xantolis shweliensis in this area. Through survey, promote the building of Luxi Heihe Laopo Nature Reser ve, and conduct biodiversity comprehensive survey for such counties as Luxi and Lianghe. The survey is rare. The biodiversity survey is blank or insufficient in this area; as a result, conduct a biodiversity background survey and collect information. Provide a scientific basis for the development of the biodiversity protection action plan in Dehong Prefecture as well as the planning and building of new nature reserve. Strategy and Action Plan－Protection Strategy in Priority Area

Lake Group in Northwestern Yunnan Plateau (1) General. This area comprises , Napa Lake, and glacial lake group of Qianhu Mountain in Shangri-La, Lashi Lake and Wen Lake in , in Ninglang, Cheng Lake in Yongsheng, in Dali, Sword Lake in Jianchuan, Cibi Lake, and Haixi Lake in Eryuan, in Heqing, etc. The water area of wetland is about 24,700 hectares. There are provincial nature reserves built such as Napa Lake, Bita Lake, Lugu Lake in Ninglang, Lashi Lake and Sword Lake Wetland. Bita Lake, Napa Lake and Lashi Lake are internationally important wetland. West Lake is a national wetland park, Caohai Lake and Cibi Lake are prefectural nature reserves, and Cheng Lake and Erhai Lake are included in the nine plateau lakes conservation planning in Yunnan Province. (2) Conservation Emphasis. It is forbidden to change the hydrological process of the wetland, control travel and grazing intensity, enhance the protection of unique animals such as black-necked crane, black stork and anseriformes waterfowl, conduct artificial breeding research and field population increment for species such as isoetes hypsophila and nymphaea tetragona georgi. Strategy and Action Plan－Protection of Key Species  Regional endemism  Rarity scale and endangered degree  Threatened degree  Having high commercial value but suffering overuse (degree)  Key species in the ecosystem (umbrella species, flagship species)  Specificity and irreplaceability of habitats Strategy and Action Plan－Protection of Key Species

Floras: Amentotaxus yunnanensis, Angiopteris sparsisora, Hopea chinensis, Dipterocarpus Retusus, Citrus hongheensis, Illicium difengpi, Panax stipuleanatus, Excentrodendron hsienmu, Camellia L., Mastixia microcarpa, Trachycarpus princeps, Hibiscus aridicola, Eleutharrhena macrocarpa, Cycadales, Gastrodia menghaiensis, Quisqualis caudata, Mastixia euonymoides Prain, Mammea yunnanensis, Panax zingiberensis, Litsea szemaois, Diospyros anisocalyx, Magnolia odoratissima, Alseodaphne sichourensis, Acer paihengii, Phellodendron chinense var. yunnanensis, Bennettiodendron subracemosum, Berberis funingense, Olax acuminata, Dipterocarpus gracilis, Saraca griffithiana Prain, Parastyrax lacei, Xantolis shweliensis, Semecarpus microcarpus, Haplospondias haplophylla, Cephalotaxus lanceolata, Litsea taronensis, Manglietia kungshanensis Law, Manglietia insignis, Davidia involucrata var. vilmoriniana, Houpoea rostrata, Pinus wallichiana, Cymbidium ensifolium var. yunnanensis, Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora, Mandragora caulescens, sorolepidium glaciale, ziziphus mairei, phellodendron chinense, pseudotsuga forrestii, torreya yunnanensis, Paraquilegia microphylla, 51 species (kinds) in total Faunas: Nomascus leucogenys, Bunopithecus hoolock, Nycticebus pygmaeus, Sitta formosa, Vibrissaphora liui, Moschus fuscus, Moschus berezovskii, Moschus chrysogaster, Trachypithecus shortridgei, Muntiacus gongshanensis, Lophophorus sclateri, Rhinopithecus strykeri, 12 species in total. Strategy and Action Plan－Protection of Important Habitats for Species

Schedule of 8 Discrimination Factors for Importance and Conservation Priority of Ecosystem Property of Importance and Conservation Priority Ecosystem 1. Nature Original habitat > Secondary habitat

2. Zonality Zonal ecosystem > Azonal ecosystem

3. Fragmentation Complete habitat > Fragmented habitat Zone with multiple types of community or habitat > Zone with a single 4. Diversity and simple type 5. Size of Area Ecotype with large area > Ecotype with small area

6. Rarity Scale Habitat with one or more rare species > Habitat with no rare species Habitat facing great destruction and/or interference > Habitat facing 7. Urgency little destruction and/or interference Habitat to be with developed or higher value of natural conservation 8. Potential Value after natural process or proper management > Habitat with no development potential Strategy and Action Plan－Development of Action Plans

Sequence of Species in Selection of Priority Area  Regional endemism  Rarity scale and endangered degree  Threatened degree  Having high commercial value but suffering overuse (degree)  Key species in the ecosystem (umbrella species, flagship species)  Specificity and irreplaceability of habitats  Significant scientific and cultural values Selection of Objects to be Protected +  Threatened degree  Having high commercial value but suffering overuse (degree) Development of Strategy and Action Plan－ Technical Assistance Action Plans According to the targeted species, the action plan shall focus on:  Species or ecotypes not covered by any reserve, or with the dominant population not covered by any reserve  Species or ecotypes under great threat but with few pertinence measures taken Selection of Action Plans

 The action plans shall be prioritized according to the priority order of protection and the threatened degree. High priority shall be given to the protection actions of high protection value and at high threatened degree;  Normal priority shall be given to the protection actions of high protection value but at low threatened degree;  Normal priority shall be given to the protection actions of high protection value but not mainly distributed in Yunnan;  Normal priority shall be given to the protection actions of high protection value, and with protective actions taken and having achieved good effect. Taking effort to maintain the relation between the anticipation and the feasibility  Keeping the cohesion with the existing policies and plans  Taking effort to maintain the relation between sustainable utilization and protection, keeping in mind that sustainable utilization is the best protective action  Actions with clear goals, which can be monitored, implemented and assessed Development of Strategy and Action Plan－ Technical Assistance Action Plans

Contents of Action Plans

Implement Strategies Time ation and Funds and Monitoring Benefit & Objective and tactics arrangeme support raising nt Organizati Assessment on

List of Prior Actions (Example)

Responsible Prior Budget Department / Implementatio Priority of Capital Main Evaluation Objective Action (Ұ) Department(s) n Period Actions Source Indicators involved

To establish perfect Action 1: Related reports bio-diversity High, protection and Medium, Low, rational utilization Normal a. Action 2: mechanism b. Strategy and Action Plan－Main ContentsTechnical Assistance of the Action Plan

Protection at the level of species (flora, fauna)

Protection of ecosystem(reserve, corridor, cross-border and other protection types)

Main Scientific research and investigation (of important objects, however, Contents the current information is not enough to support decision making)

of the Sustainable utilization (value assessment and sorting of resources, Action community vitality + significant business opportunity

Plan Eliminating or relieving the threats (on social development, poverty and ethnics)

Reserve network and species adaptive to climate change

Management ability, communication and education (mainstream)

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Strategy and Action Plan－Main Contents of Action Plan

1 • Establishing Bio-diversity Protection Committee of Yunnan Province

2 • Demonstration of bio-diversity protection compensation • Building up the common platform of bio-diversity protection and sustainable 3 utilization projects

4 • Building up the monitoring system of human activities within the nature reserve • Implementation comprehensive bio-diversity survey in county territory, such as 5 Jiangcheng

• Cross-border protection and investigation of nature reserve along the border 6

7 • Demonstration of building and management of small nature reserve

8 • Preparing the building plan of ecologic corridor of Yunnan Province • Promoting the building of the new nature reserve at the Daheishan Mountain of 9 Yulian and Heihe Laopo in Luxi Strategy and Action Plan－Main Technical Assistance Contents of Action Plan

• Carrying out comprehensive investigation, measurement and assessment of the 10 tropical rain-forest ecosystem • Comprehensive investigation and protection of the cave and river ecosystem in the 11 karst region in the southeast Yunnan • Demonstration of comprehensive ecosystem management of riverine reservoir on 12 the trunk stream of the Langcang River

13 • Investigation, monitoring and protection of important species and groups • Demonstration of bio-diversity protection and community participation of Rini 14 Mountain habitat

15 • Simultaneous monitoring of wintering waterfowls at lakes in northwest Yunnan • Conservation of endangered plants Isoets hypsophila and Nymphaea tetragona 16 Georgi • Investigation, assessment and cataloging of ex-situ conservation for key protection 17 species • Demonstration of investigation, monitoring and sustainable utilization of species as 18 important resources Strategy and Action Plan－Main Technical Assistance Contents of Action Plan

• Demonstration of artificial culture of endemic sishes in Yunnan with cultural 19 prospect and of economic value. • Demonstration of the combination of poverty reduction and biodiversity 20 protection • Community participation into aquatic biological resources protection in the 21 Luosuo River basin • Demonstration of the protection and management mechanism of the Meli 22 Snow Mountain National Park

23 • Building up alien species monitoring, precaution and early warning system • Demonstration of the influence of golden apple snails on the lack ecosystem 24 and the control

25 • Research and monitoring the influence of climate change on bio-diversity

26 • Communication and education about bio-diversity protection • Demonstration of investigation, monitoring, cataloging and management of 27 natural habitats Your valuable advice and suggestions are appreciated