December 19 marks the first anniversary of the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (hereinafter referred to as the "Kunming-Montreal Framework"). The Bureau noted that not long ago, during the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), China once again announced that it would take the lead in launching a "Kunmeng Framework" implementation initiative to promote the full implementation of the "Kunmeng Framework".
It is interesting to discuss the topic of marine protection on the first anniversary of the Kunmeng Framework. Recently, Zhang Jieqing, chief representative of the Beijing Representative Office of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a speech at the 2023 Marine Protected Area (MPA) Monitoring and Assessment Symposium that the Ocean 30 goal proposed by the "Kunmeng Framework" requires that at least 30% of coastal zones and marine areas be effectively protected by 2030.
Zhang Jieqing, chief representative of the Beijing Representative Office of the Natural Resources Defense Council, delivered a speech.
At present, there are still some problems in the protection of marine ecological environment, such as insufficient protection effectiveness, insufficient transformation and application of scientific research achievements, and insufficient measures to deal with the conflict between protection and development. Yu Hui, deputy director of the Department of Protected Area Management of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said frankly, "To solve these difficulties and problems, we need to pool our wisdom and efforts, build consensus and work together." ”
Marine protected areas are an important measure to effectively protect marine biodiversity. Wang Zongling, deputy director of the First Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that China also attaches great importance to the protection of marine endangered species, biodiversity, ecosystems, natural heritage and other marine resources through the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs). At the same time, great attention is also paid to the conservation effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs), both in quantity and quality.
Wang Zongling, deputy director of the First Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources, delivered a speech.
It is worth mentioning that the theme of this conference focused on the theme of marine conservation effectiveness evaluation. Monitoring and evaluation is an essential process for measuring the effectiveness of marine protected areas and improving management measures, according to several experts.
It is proposed to establish five marine national parks for the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems
In 2019, the General Office of the Communist Party of China issued the "Guiding Opinions on the Establishment of a System of Natural Protected Areas with National Parks as the Main Body", which requires strengthening the supervision and assessment of the ecological environment of nature reserves: implementing the most stringent ecological and environmental protection system, strengthening the monitoring, assessment, assessment, law enforcement, and supervision of nature reserves, and forming a complete set of supervision and management systems with perfect systems and strong supervision.
Yu Hui, deputy director of the Department of Nature Reserve Management of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, pointed out that the current nature reserve system with national parks as the main body has achieved initial results, which is reflected in four aspects: first, national parks have shifted from institutional pilot to high-quality development stage, and ecological protection work has continued to improve;The second is to comprehensively promote the integration and optimization of nature reserves, and the area of sea areas protected by various types of nature reserves will reach nearly 100,000 square kilometersThe third is to speed up the construction of the legislative system for nature reservesFourth, we will continue to strengthen the monitoring and supervision of nature reserves.
According to reports, in September 2021, the first five national parks, including Sanjiangyuan, Giant Panda, Northeast Tiger and Leopard, Hainan Tropical Rainforest, and Wuyi Mountain, were officially established. The headwaters of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River have been protected as a whole, and the Tibetan antelope population has recovered to more than 70,000. The Giant Panda National Park protects more than 70% of the wild giant pandas and connects 13 ecological corridors with local populations. The population of tigers and leopards in the Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park continues to increase, with more than 50 Siberian tigers and more than 60 Siberian leopards, and the rainforest habitat in the tropical rainforest of Hainan continues to improve, and the population of Hainan gibbons has recovered to 37 individuals in six groups. Seventeen new species have been discovered in Wuyi Mountain National Park.
In December 2022, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment jointly issued the Spatial Layout Plan for National Parks. The areas with the most important natural ecosystems, the most unique natural landscapes, the most quintessential natural heritage, and the richest biodiversity in China were included in the national park system, and 49 candidate areas for national parks (including 5 officially established national parks) were selected, including 44 land areas, 2 land and sea areas, and 3 sea areas, with a total area of about 1.1 million square kilometers. Among them, two land and sea co-ordination and three sea areas are planned to be established as national parks, which will be an important part of the future marine protected areas.
Many experts believe that the construction of the protected area system with national parks as the core is very important for the conservation of marine biodiversity and the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems in China.
Overfishing, marine litter pollution, etc., are threatening marine ecosystems and biodiversity
However, it should be noted that in the process of promoting the reform of nature reserves, the protection of marine ecological environment is still a short board and a weak link. Yu Hui pointed out that at present, there are still problems in the protection of the marine ecological environment, such as insufficient protection effectiveness, insufficient transformation and application of scientific research achievements, and insufficient measures to deal with conflicts between protection and development.
Zhao Linlin, an associate researcher at the First Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources, also pointed out that the basic management and protection facilities of marine protected areas are slightly insufficient compared with terrestrial nature reserves, mainly because most of them do not have management and protection office buildings, management and protection facilities, ships and other equipment, so they are unable to effectively manage and care for marine protected areas, and some marine protected areas have relatively backward infrastructure and management conditions.
Zhao Linlin, associate researcher of the First Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources, delivered a speech.
Pollution and other challenges facing the oceans are no longer negligible. Zhang Jieqing, chief representative of the Natural Resources Defense Council in Beijing, cited overfishing, marine litter pollution, and climate change as examples of serious threats to marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
That's why at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity last year we set very ambitious targets for ocean conservation," Zhang Jieqing said, noting that the Ocean 3030 target proposed in the Kunmeng Framework calls for at least 30% of coastal zones and marine areas to be effectively protected by 2030.
Focusing on this goal, the core is how to build a better space for people and nature to develop together to achieve a balance. Wang Wei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences, said that the focus should be on the status of protected areas and the changes in biodiversity in protected areas. "For example, in terms of status, we need to address the three key scientific questions of how many species are currently protected in protected areas, how representative protected areas are, and where we need to strengthen conservation next. ”
Wang Wei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences.
Wang Wei suggested that it is necessary to carry out multi-objective collaborative space optimization layout to improve quality and connectivityComprehensively consider the status and changes of biodiversity conservation, and further improve the relationship between management measures and conservation effectivenessand achieving a balance between biodiversity conservation goals and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Monitoring and assessment can reflect information such as the direct threat to the protected objects of marine protected areas
In marine conservation, monitoring and assessment can be said to be an essential process to measure the achievements of marine protected area (MPA) construction, and it is also a necessary process to improve management measures. This is also the common understanding of many experts at this meeting, and it is one of the themes of this meeting.
Wang Zongling, deputy director of the First Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources, emphasized that practice has shown that the assessment results can accurately reflect the direct threats to the protected objects in the marine protected areas (MPAs), the changing trend of the ecological environment, whether the management plans and objectives have been achieved, and whether the conservation and management measures are effective, so as to better carry out dynamic adjustment and adaptive management and promote the effective conservation of biodiversity in the MPA.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a refuge for the conservation of marine biodiversity, and there is a clear trend of large-scale them in the world. Based on monitoring data, Zhao Linlin pointed out that global statistics show that despite the increasing number and area of protected areas, biodiversity has declined sharply. Therefore, the development of protected areas should not only focus on the improvement of quantity, but also pay attention to the quality of construction and management. A scientific and quantitative evaluation method is needed to judge its management and construction. According to the existing assessment results, the domestic MPA covers most of the habitats of coastal species, and the key habitats of important species need to be assessed. He suggested that in the future, the area of protection outside the waters under national jurisdiction should be expanded, and the management and protection of offshore MPAs should be improved.
Zeng Cong, an associate researcher at Shanghai Jiao Tong University's School of Oceanography, believes that a comprehensive assessment of MPA management effectiveness requires an understanding of the gap between current management practices and overall goals, so as to improve management behaviors and improve the effectiveness of protected areas. Using an evaluation methodology adapted from the METT framework, the team concluded that a management effectiveness assessment tool based on open information was feasible;The longer the MPA has been established and the more economic investment it makes, the better the conservation outcomes. He suggested that categorical management should be implemented, related expenditures should be increased, lessons learned and shared, and economic development and protection should be balanced.
Zeng Cong, associate researcher at the School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Gao Xianggang, a researcher at the Liaoning Academy of Marine and Fishery Sciences, shared the monitoring and research methods of typical marine mammals, and gave a detailed introduction to the monitoring and research results carried out in the harbor seal reserve with the spotted seals distributed in the Yellow and Bohai Seas of China as an example. He said that the current population of spotted seals in China's waters is about 2,000, and the monitoring results in recent years show that the population has an increasing trend. Major threats to marine mammals, such as spotted seals, include global climate change and declining fishery stocks. In the future, we should focus on improving the coverage and capacity level of intelligent monitoring systems for breeding grounds and protected areas.
Gao Xianggang, a researcher at Liaoning Academy of Marine and Fishery Sciences.
Written by: Nandu reporter Wang Wei from Beijing.
Photo courtesy of the organizer.