Wildlife trade,consumption and conservation awareness in southwest China |
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Authors: | Li Zhang Ning Hua Shan Sun |
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Institution: | (1) College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China;(2) Conservation International, Beijing, China;(3) International Fund for Animal Welfare, Beijing, China |
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Abstract: | Commercial trade in wildlife is the major cause of species endangerment and a main threat to animal welfare in China and its
neighboring countries. Driven by consumptive use for food and traditional medicine, the large volume of both legal and illegal
trade in wildlife has caused great destruction to ecosystems and pushed many species to the brink of extinction. Data gathered
from trading hubs at ports, boundary markets, city markets and stores, indicates the large amount of wildlife traded in the
region of Guangxi, Yunnan and Qinghai provinces, a direct result of the numerous wildlife markets available. In a survey distributed
in various trading places, while about half of the respondents agreed that wildlife should be protected, 60% of them had consumed
wildlife at some point in the last 2 years. The results also indicated that law and regulation on wildlife trade control is
insufficient. Wildlife trade controls are very limited because of bias on the utilization of wildlife as a natural resource
to be exploited by the government agencies. The survey also shows that the current situation of wildlife consumption in key
cities in China is serious, especially the consumption for food. The main consumption groups in China are male and young people
with high education levels and good incomes. The key in public awareness publicity and education is to give them more information
on the negative impacts of wildlife consumption and knowledge of protection. |
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Keywords: | Wildlife trade Consumption Conservation awareness China |
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