HAIKOU, March 17. /TASS/. China's Hainan presented an updated list of rare fauna protected by the Chinese government, reported the Hainan Daily.
According to the newspaper, local residents got the opportunity to learn more about an expanded registry shortly after the Chinese State Administration of Forestry and Rangelands published the "List of China's Most Valuable Wildlife Protected by the State." This document has undergone major changes for the first time since 1989, it includes 980 rare species.
Unique tropical fauna
As calculated by Chinese experts, the island is home to 161 species of protected animals (including 12 found only on Hainan), of which 121 belong to the class of birds. Hainan is a popular destination for migratory birds, ideal for the local climate and natural landscape.
Scientists have found that numerous representatives of the fauna of the island province and mainland China have common ancestors. However, Hainan is geographically relatively isolated from the rest of the country. It is for this reason that there are quite a few rare species left in the region.
The island is covered with tropical forests, which occupy the first place in China in terms of area. Therefore, the southernmost island province is often referred to as a "natural treasure": rich vegetation allows diversifying and constantly increasing animal populations.
Hainan's rare animals
The list of representatives of the Hainan fauna, which are under state protection, includes goniurosaurs. These clawed geckos usually reach 16 to 18 cm in length, are predominantly nocturnal and feed on insects. According to the official classification, they belong to the second category of specially protected wild animals.
Hainan is also home to gibbons — representatives of a unique species that is not found anywhere else. They belong to number one category and are under the enhanced protection of the state. By the middle of the last century, the tropical forests of the island underwent a thorough deforestation, which was accompanied by the massive disappearance of these rare primates: by the second half of the last century, only 10 gibbons remained in the province. However, thanks to the efforts of the authorities, their number in the reserves, which are located in the southern part of the region, has recently been increased to 33.
In addition, peacocks and pheasants live on Hainan. In total, there are two types of them in China, representatives of both can be found in the forests in the central and western regions of the province. Among the birds of the island, curlews attract particular attention: birds that form pairs, nest in flocks and are found in swampy meadows.
There is also a muntjac, also known as the "barking deer", in the local forests. It feeds on herbs, all kinds of fruits and mushrooms and, like a number of other animals, to which, for example, the Hainan hare belongs, is on the verge of extinction. Hainan is also home to turtles: sea green and red, box, olive, big-headed. However, due to the active economic activity of man in recent decades, their number has sharply decreased.
The island is sometimes called "bird's paradise", as in the province one can find a third of all species of birds that live in China. Such rare representatives of tropical fauna as the blue-tailed bee-eater, a small bird usually found on sandbanks, nest in the province. On the shores of reservoirs, there is also a small spoonbill, which has white plumage and a long, flattened beak at the end. Much more often on Hainan one can see white-breasted kingfishers, gray-breasted hornbeaks, starlings and thrushes.
The main task of the publication of the list, which will now be updated every five years, is to develop a new perception of the animal world among the Chinese population, to teach the citizens of the country to protect and respect nature. At the same time, the authorities seek to raise awareness among residents, who must remember: heavy fines and imprisonment are imposed for hunting rare animals, transporting and selling them in China.