Cover News Reporter Gou Chun In recent years, Sichuan Province’s forest and grassland system has comprehensively strengthened the protection of rare and endangered wild animals and plants, and a number of rare and endangered species have been effectively protected.

Cover News Reporter Gou Chun

In recent years, Sichuan Province’s forest and grassland system has comprehensively strengthened the protection of rare and endangered wild animals and plants, and a number of rare and endangered species have been effectively protected.

html On June 28, the cover news reporter learned from Sichuan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau that the recent evaluation of key technologies for the protection of Sichuan Mountain Partridge organized by Sichuan Forestry Society showed that after more than 20 years of continuous efforts, Sichuan The population of mountain partridge has increased by nearly 60%, and the area of ​​suitable habitat has increased by 23%. Remarkable results have been achieved in species protection.

Sichuan Mountain Partridge male. Photographed by Fu Yiqiang

The Sichuan mountain partridge (Arborophila rufipectus) is a unique bird in the mountains of southwestern my country. It is a globally endangered (EN) species and a national first-level key protected wild animal. It is mainly distributed in the mountain forests of central and southern Sichuan Province. There is also a small amount of distribution in the northeastern region of Yunnan Province. In the decades before the 1990s, the natural broad-leaved forests that Sichuan mountain partridges rely on for survival were extensively logged and replaced by rapidly growing artificial coniferous forests or tea plantations, resulting in serious habitat loss.

It is understood that in 1997, the former Sichuan Provincial Forestry Department cooperated with the World Pheasant Association to conduct conservation biology research on Sichuan Mountain Partridge for the first time. In the same year, in the first national terrestrial wildlife survey, there were 780 to 1,170 Sichuan Mountain Partridges in Sichuan Province.

In 1998 and 1999, Sichuan took the lead in implementing the "Natural Forest Protection Project" and "Returning Farmland to Forest Project" in the country, and the remaining habitats of Sichuan mountain partridges began to be strictly protected and restored.

Typical habitat of Sichuan mountain partridge. Photographed by Fu Yiqiang in Laojun Mountain, Yibin, Sichuan

In 2000, under the joint promotion of the former Sichuan Provincial Forestry Department, the World Pheasant Association, and the World Conservation Union , the country was the first to focus on the Sichuan mountain partridge and its habitat as the main protection targets. The protected area of ​​Sichuan Laojun Mountain Nature Reserve was officially established.

Since then, my country has established a number of new nature reserves in areas where Sichuan mountain partridges are concentrated. The protection network of Sichuan mountain partridge habitats has been systematically constructed, creating conditions for the recovery of rare and endangered species such as Sichuan mountain partridges.

Female Sichuan Mountain Partridge. Photo by Fu Yiqiang

While accelerating the construction of the nature reserve network, the former Provincial Forestry Department took the lead in establishing the "Sichuan Mountain Partridge Nature Reserve Alliance" and formulated a targeted patrol plan based on the life history characteristics of Sichuan Mountain Partridge. , carried out simultaneous patrols and monitoring, forming a cross-regional protection pattern; organized extensive cooperation between grassroots nature reserves and scientific research institutions; continued to deepen cooperation with relevant international conservation organizations, which played an important role in the protection of Sichuan mountain partridge populations and habitats. Promoting effect.

After more than 20 years of hard work, a major breakthrough has been made in the protection of mountain partridges in Sichuan. Sichuan Province has achieved the "double growth" goal of Sichuan Mountain Partridge population and suitable habitat area, reversing the declining trend of Sichuan Mountain Partridge population. From 2018 to 2019, a new round of special surveys and assessments of Sichuan Mountain Partridges showed that the number of Sichuan Mountain Partridges in the province has recovered to 1,487-1,611 individuals, a population increase of nearly 60%.

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