Protection Strategy and Action Plan for Biodiversity Priority Area in Yunnan Wu Xuecan Senior Engineer and Vice President of Yunnan Institute of Environmental Science 28th July 2015 Tengchong Yunnan China 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, Jinghong, Menghai, Mengla ; Priority areas in mountain regions of southwestern Guangxi: Funing ; Priority area for biodiversity conservation in southern section region of Hengduan Mountains: Tengchong, Longyang District (Baoshan), Yunlong, Yulong, Gucheng District, Dali, Binchuan, Jianchuan, Heqing, Eryuan, Ninglang, Lushui, Fugong, Gongshan, Lanping, Shangri-La, Deqin, Weixi (18 counties); Priority area for biodiversity conservation in karst areas of western Guangxi and southern Guizhou: 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 － Ailao Mountains 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 Gaoligong Mountains 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.