[Photo by Xu Mingliang]

[Photo by Li Yalin]

Well protecting Yunnan’s birds is to make a contribution to the world

On October 12, the media conference of “Yunnan Practice of Xi Jinping’s Thoughts on Ecological Civilization ” was held during the COP15. Yang Xiaojun, a researcher at Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said at the meeting that due to the special geographical location, the huge altitude differences and the complex topography and landform, Yunnan has a variety of climate types, ranging from the tropical to frigid zone climate, with a rich diversity of complex habitat types. Accordingly, all kinds of birds can find its suitable environmental conditions to live. All of these contribute to the bountiful bird diversity and form the particularity of Yunnan.

More than 2/3 of China’s bird species come from Yunnan 

Yang said, “ there were 945 kinds of birds recorded, accounting for 70% of all bird species in China, according to the List of Biological Species in Yunnan Province - Birds issued in 2017.” The latest data shows the number of bird species in Yunnan has exceeded 1,000, making up around 9% of world’s bird species. If compared with other countries, the number of bird species in Yunnan Province can be comparable to that in the top 20 countries with the most abundant birds in the world. More than two thirds of China’s bird species come from Yunnan, with over 6% of which only existing in Yunnan. 

Yunnan is also one of the centers of the origin and differentiation of bird species. It is the convergence area of two natural geographical regions in the world (Palearctic realm and Oriental realm). Birds from Southeast Asia and South Asia spreading northward into Central Asia have to pass Yunnan, and the Asian openbill entering Jiangxi Province and Gangsu Province spread northward from Yunnan. Yunnan is also a vital land migration channel for birds in South Asia, Southeast Asia, North and Central Asia. There are more than 40 important gathering places in Yunnan for bird migration.

A bird brought 500,000 Yuan economic benefit

Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences is taking the lead in the protection of black-necked cranes. Black-necked cranes have become the only crane of all 9 crane species in China to have an increase in population. In 2020,  black-necked cranes were degraded from the endangered species. In addition, in the conservation of green peacocks carried out by Yunnan Forestry and Grassland Bureau, the population of wild green peacocks has a steady growth, and pure breed green peacocks in captivity were raised. 

In terms of effects in social protection, take the stork-billed kingfisher, a bird only living in Yunnan as an example. One of stork-billed kingfishers, appeared in the Nabang Wetland in Nabang Town, Yingjiang County, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture on October 16, 2017, which attracted 2,955 visitors from all over China to come to view and take photos of it. It was estimated that during 197 days of this bird’s stay, the tourism had generated about 500,000 yuan to Nabang Town.

Click here to view Chinese report

(Editors: Ines, Christine)