In recent years, there are often dead fish floating in rivers across the country, and they are often accompanied by the phenomenon of water odor. The relevant river and lake management departments attach great importance to it, and after investigation, it is found that most of the culprits causing this phenomenon are actually due to "random release". The culture of animal release has a long history in China, however, in real life, many citizens who release animals lack relevant knowledge and release them arbitrarily, in large quantities and unscientifically, which threatens water quality and ecology and brings serious harm to the natural environment. Scientific release is an act of protecting the natural environment and wildlife, which can help maintain ecological balance and promote the development of species diversity. Scientific release needs to follow certain principles and methods to ensure the effectiveness and safety of release.
Ecological risks that may arise from the release of alien species
The release of alien species may pose the following ecological risks:
Competition and predation: Alien species may compete with native species for food, habitat, and resources, leading to the decline or extinction of native species.
Changing the structure of the ecosystem: Alien species may alter the structure and function of ecosystems, such as disrupting the food chain, altering ecological niches, etc.
Spread the diseaseAlien species may carry pathogens and spread diseases to native species, leading to the death and extinction of native species.
Genetic contamination: Alien species may interbreed with native species, leading to genetic contamination that affects the genetic diversity of native species.
Ecological invasion: Some alien species may rapidly multiply and spread in new environments, becoming invasive species and causing serious damage to local ecosystems. Therefore, the release of alien species may pose serious ecological risks, which may lead to the destruction of local ecosystems and the extinction of species. When carrying out the release, the principles of scientific release should be followed, and the species suitable for the local ecosystem should be selected and carried out under the guidance of professionals.
Relevant regulations on invasive alien species in China
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' "Regulations on the Management of Aquatic Organism Proliferation and Release" clearly stipulates that it is forbidden to use alien species, hybrids, genetically modified species and other aquatic species that do not meet ecological requirements for proliferation and release.
On April 22, 2022, the Measures for the Management of Invasive Alien Species were deliberated and adopted by the 4th executive meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the General Administration of Customs, and promulgated to come into force on August 1, 2022.
The Measures for the Management of Invasive Alien Species provide detailed provisions on the classification of alien species and invasive alien species: the term "alien species" in these Measures refers to species that have no natural distribution in the territory of the People's Republic of China and are introduced through natural or artificial means, including all parts of the species that may survive and reproduce. The term "invasive alien species" as used in these Measures refers to alien species that are introduced and colonized and threaten or harm ecosystems, habitats and species, affect China's ecological environment, and harm the sustainable development of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery and biodiversity.
Case in point: The alligator gar, an alien species, became the "overlord of the water".
At the end of August 2022, an alligator gar was found in Guxibang, Hongkou, Shanghai. Not only in Shanghai, but also in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Henan, Sichuan, Jiangsu and other provinces. In Ruzhou** Park, Henan, professionals drained 300,000 cubic meters of water from Yunchan Lake in order to catch two alligator gars.
Alligator gar (scientific name: Atractosteus spatula): It is an animal of the order Gar, Garidae, and Great Gar. Gars are found in North America or Central America, and their ancestors can be traced back to the Cretaceous period more than 100 million years ago. Adult alligator gars are generally 12 to 1At 8 meters, it can grow up to 3 meters in length, making it the largest of the seven species of gar in existence. The eggs and flesh of alligator gars also contain a special toxic protein that protects them from predation. As a carnivorous fish, the alligator gar eats almost anything and is extremely adaptable. Together, these properties make the alligator gar a top predator in aquatic environments. Without the restriction of natural predators, the alligator gar can be said to do whatever it wants in the water environment of our country.
Around the 90s of the 20th century, alligator gars were introduced as ornamental fish, but their peculiar appearance and ferocious habits earned them a place in the ornamental fish market. However, the alligator gar eats a large amount of food, coupled with the size commensurate with the amount of food, many owners will feel that they cannot afford to raise it and choose to release it into the wild. The tough alligator gar is even more lawless after escaping from the tank, preying on local aquatic life.
Incidents of alien species such as the alligator gar are not uncommon. In recent years, the number of invasive alien species in China has been on the rise, and it has become one of the countries most seriously affected by this kind of harm in the world. At the beginning of the 20th century, China once introduced water hyacinth from South America as an ornamental plant and fodder. However, due to the lack of relevant prevention and control mechanisms, water hyacinth multiplies in large quantities, resulting in hypoxia and death of aquatic organisms.
"Goldenrod canadensis" is an ornamental plant introduced from North America in Shanghai and other places in China in the 30s of the 20th century, and was released into the wild, which has a strong ability to reproduce and quickly occupy space, suppress the growth of native plants, and destroy the ecological balance of vegetation in the invasion area. These are typical examples of invasive alien species.
These incidents have made people aware of the dangers of alien species, and corresponding laws and regulations have been formulated to prevent and control these organisms. Since 2003, China has successively released four batches of the List of Invasive Alien Species in China. In addition to water hyacinth and goldenrod, creatures such as snails, bullfrogs, and crayfish are also on the list.
How to prevent invasive alien species
In order to effectively strengthen the management of invasive alien species, the Measures for the Management of Invasive Alien Species also make provisions from three aspects: prevention at the source, monitoring and early warning of invasive alien species, and implementation of governance and restoration.
Prevention at source
Articles 10 to 14 of the Measures for the Management of Invasive Alien Species put forward clear requirements for strengthening prevention at the source from three aspects.
1.Standardize the management of introduction.
Where foreign species such as crops, forest and grass seeds, seedlings, and aquatic seedlings are introduced from abroad due to special needs such as variety cultivation, import examination and approval and quarantine examination and approval shall be handled in accordance with the examination and approval authority. If it is the first time to be introduced, the introducing unit shall conduct a risk analysis and submit a risk assessment report to the approval department.
2.Strengthen prevention and control at ports.
Customs shall strengthen prevention and control at ports, crack down on illegal introduction, carrying, delivery, smuggling of alien species and other illegal acts, and dispose of invasive alien species discovered and alien species that have been assessed to have a risk of invasion in accordance with law.
3.Strengthen domestic quarantine.
The competent departments of agriculture, rural affairs, forestry and grassland of local people's ** at or above the county level shall, in accordance with law, strengthen quarantine supervision and supervision of the transportation of crops, forest and grass seeds, seedlings, plant products, aquatic seeds, etc., across borders, to prevent the spread of invasive alien species.
The invasion pathways of alien species mainly include anthropogenic introduction and natural invasion. Anthropogenic introductions include both intentional and unintentional introductions. Among them, intentional introduction includes the introduction for the purpose of viewing and other purposes, and unintentional introduction refers to the inadvertent introduction with ** transportation and passengers. Natural invasion refers to invasion through air movements, water movements, or the transmission of insects and birds. The "Measures for the Management of Invasive Alien Species" put forward three requirements for source prevention, corresponding to intentional introduction, unintentional introduction and natural invasion respectively, so as to block the invasion of alien species into China in an all-round way.
Monitoring and early warning
In order to strengthen the monitoring and early warning of invasive alien species and timely grasp the status of invasive alien species, Articles 15 to 19 of the Measures for the Management of Invasive Alien Species make three provisions.
1.Conduct surveys and monitoring.
Establish a survey and monitoring system for invasive alien species, organize a national census every ten years, build a national monitoring network for invasive alien species, and carry out regular monitoring.
2.Issuing early warnings and forecasts.
Local people's departments for agriculture and rural affairs, natural resources (oceans), ecology and environment, forestry and grasslands, and customs at or above the provincial level shall strengthen the sharing of monitoring information, analyze and judge the occurrence and spread trends of invasive alien species, promptly issue early warnings and forecasts, and guide the development of prevention and control.
3.Regulate the release of information.
The overall situation of invasive alien species in the country shall be uniformly released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in consultation with relevant departments. The occurrence of invasive alien species in relevant fields is to be published by the relevant departments in accordance with their duties and authority. Provincial-level departments in charge of agriculture and rural affairs and relevant departments shall uniformly publish the situation of invasive alien species in their respective administrative regions.
Before the promulgation of the Measures for the Management of Invasive Alien Species, there were certain gaps in the real-time monitoring of invasive alien species in China. By the time the harm caused by invasive alien species is perceived, these species have often accumulated in numbers. At this time, there are often problems such as high cost and difficulty in governance. The Measures for the Management of Invasive Alien Species stipulate the whole process from investigation and monitoring, early warning to information release.
With the entry into force of the "Measures for the Management of Invasive Alien Species", China has started the survey of invasive alien species, so as to strangle the problem of invasive species in the cradle and realize the "early, small, cured, and cured" of invasive species.
Implement governance fixes
In order to vigorously promote the management and restoration of invasive alien species, Articles 20 to 23 of the Measures for the Management of Invasive Alien Species stipulate that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the State Forestry and Grassland Administration shall study and formulate strategies and measures for the prevention and control of invasive alien species in accordance with the division of responsibilities, and all localities shall formulate prevention and control management plans and implement prevention and control measures in accordance with actual conditions.
For the treatment of invasive alien plants, measures such as manual uprooting, mechanical eradication, spraying of green pesticides, and release of biological natural enemies can be taken according to the actual situation during the critical growth periods such as seedling stage, flowering stage or fruiting stage.
For the treatment of invasive foreign pests and diseases, measures such as selection of resistant varieties and pests, seedling pretreatment, physical removal, chemical extermination, and biological control should be adopted to effectively prevent the spread of pests and diseases.
For the control of invasive aquatic animals, measures such as targeted fishing should be taken to prevent them from further spreading harm. In addition, the Measures for the Management of Invasive Alien Species require the planting of native plants and the release of native species according to local conditions to restore ecosystems in areas where invasive alien species occur.
First of all, scientific release requires the selection of suitable species and locations. Before release, it is necessary to investigate and study the released species to understand their ecological habits and survival needs to ensure that they can survive and reproduce in the new environment. At the same time, it is necessary to select suitable release sites to avoid negative impacts on the local ecosystem.
Written by |Wang Ying is a researcher at the Smart Ecological Environment Research Department of Qingyan Group.
Edit |Chen Zexi.
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