What is the reason for the rapid extinction of species? What measures has China taken?

Some scientists predict that if three species are extinct every hour now, then in 2050, more than 40 years later, a quarter to half of the species on earth will be extinct or on the verge of extinction. According to computer simulation, this speed is 1 0,000 times faster than natural extinction and 1 0,000 times faster than species formation.

Two years ago, Zhu Graff, executive secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, warned that human beings were at the critical juncture of the sixth mass extinction since the extinction of dinosaurs, and it was human beings who directed this tragedy.

In Li Xinhai's view, to some extent, these remarks are not entirely alarmist. As a biologist working for the Nature Conservancy (TNC), a non-governmental organization, he has been devoted to the research and practice of biodiversity conservation for many years. At present, the long-term planning of biodiversity protection in China, which he is in charge of, has a meaningful name: the "blueprint" plan.

Li Xinhai always takes every opportunity to emphasize that any kind of creature has unique value, and even the pika, which is denounced by some people as the destroyer of grassland, is of great significance in biodiversity protection. "After a large number of pikas are poisoned, animals based on pikas will either be deprived of food or die of poisoning." He said, "Every living thing is a link in the food chain. The extinction of any population may destroy the ecological balance and lead to disaster. "

A common sense is that human beings cannot exist alone. The large-scale reduction of species directly weakens the survival foundation of human beings, and will also lead to the extinction of other species through the food chain. Therefore, it is urgent to protect all living things, their genes and living environment, that is, biodiversity.

1992 At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Brazil, the Convention on Biological Diversity, which aims to protect endangered animals and plants, maximize the protection of various biological resources on earth and benefit future generations, came into effect on February 29th, 1992. For the first time, the Convention recognizes that the protection of biodiversity is the common task of mankind and an integral part of the development process, and puts forward three major objectives: the protection of biodiversity, the component of sustainable utilization of biodiversity and the fair and reasonable sharing of benefits from commercial and other utilization of genetic resources.

China signed the Convention at the meeting, becoming one of the few countries in the world to join the Convention first. In fact, the situation in China is not optimistic. In this vast country, due to the rapid development of economy and the rapid increase of population, the ecological environment and natural resources are under increasing pressure, and biodiversity is highly threatened. It is understood that the number of biological species in China is decreasing at the rate of increasing one endangered species or even going extinct every day, and the number of cultivated varieties of crops is decreasing at the rate of 15% per year. The proportion of endangered plant species is as high as 15%-20%, and the number of endangered species is 4000-5000.

The loss is huge. According to the report "Ten Years' Progress in China's Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity", the economic loss caused by the invasion of alien species alone is as high as 50 billion yuan every year.

In 2002, the Sixth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity called on all parties to turn from theory to practice, strengthen their efforts and take measures before 20 10 to stop the loss of biodiversity at an alarming rate.

As one of the contracting parties, China actively responded to the call and began to take measures to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss. The "blueprint" plan came into being. In 2006, TNC signed a memorandum of cooperation with partners such as the State Environmental Protection Administration, and officially launched the long-term planning project of biodiversity protection in China. This three-year project, funded by the China Municipal Government and TNC, aims to help the China authorities establish a biodiversity conservation database, plan priority biodiversity conservation areas and formulate corresponding conservation strategies.