CBCGDF CCAfa System and the Conservation of Great Bustards in China
In 2016, the eastern subspecies Great Bustards in China faced a perilous decline due to threats like poaching, prompting serious concerns from the people. Despite being migratory birds, lacking effective protection measures along their routes and wintering grounds posed severe risks.
Dr. ZHOU Jinfeng (The Nominee), Secretary General of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) mobilized local volunteers, establishing the first Community Conservation Area in 2016. Through extensive public outreach, the volunteers fighted against poachers and poisoners, raised awareness and revived the wintering population from 500 to over 1400. This success highlights the crucial role of community engagement and sets a precedent for grassroots conservation. The CBCGDF Community Conservation Area (CCAfa) System, born from this triumph, launched by Dr. ZHOU, emphasizes continuous efforts and public involvement in protecting vulnerable species. Since 2016, CBCGDF has established seven Community Conservation Areas for Great Bustards (CCAfas) in different locations across China, including Changyuan in Henan, Tumujij in Inner Mongolia, Hulunbuir in Inner Mongolia, Jinzhou in Liaoning, Fengqiu in Henan, Binhai New Area in Tianjin, and Cangzhou in Hebei. The Great Bustards’ story showcases the transformative impact of collective action in wildlife conservation.
Their efforts includes, but not limited to:
1. Formation of community conservation teams and patrols
Local like-minded individuals spontaneously formed multiple community conservation teams in the CCAfas. During the winter migration period of Great Bustards, they strengthen patrols and observe the population size of the bustards, meticulously documenting their findings. During the winter, Great Bustards primarily inhabit sparsely populated wheat fields, grasslands, and open river floodplains, often foraging for grains and plant seeds near farmland and pastures. To ensure the safe wintering of the bustards, volunteers in the conservation areas conduct regular patrols. They occasionally encounter forestry officials conducting on-site investigations to guide the dedicated patrol personnel in their daily tasks.
2. Strengthening publicity to prevent poaching
Volunteers from CBCGDF reported incidents of motorcycle riders with bright lights and hunting dogs engaging in poaching activities during the winter season. Some deceased bustards showed clear bite marks near the base of their wings, indicating possible death caused by dog attacks. During the winter season, the directors and volunteers of the CCAfas intensify patrols and engage in continuous public awareness campaigns to prevent poaching and ensure the safe wintering of the bustards. For example, they use village loudspeakers for broadcasting and deliver lectures to promote bird appreciation and bird protection.
Collaborating with local forestry departments and volunteers, large-scale publicity and law enforcement campaigns are organized during rural gatherings. Bird protection calendars and promotional materials are printed and distributed among nearby residents during routine patrols for educational purposes. The calendars serve as a practical tool, providing bird protection knowledge throughout the year. Publicity boards are erected near the gathering places of the bustards, featuring 24-hour voice monitoring reminders.
3. Cross-provincial cooperation for joint protection
In the Yellow River region at the border of Henan and Shandong provinces (from Changyuan in Henan to Heze in Shandong), multiple CCAfas community conservation areas collaborate to combat poaching. On this land where the Yellow River intersects between Henan and Shandong, a vast stretch of north-south riverbanks provides habitats for various wild bird species, including the Great Bustards and geese. Protecting migratory birds like the Great Bustard requires collaborative efforts that extend beyond a single area or team. Inspired by the volunteers from Changyuan Wildlife Conservation, more caring individuals in the Yellow River coastal areas have joined the ranks of bird lovers and bird protectors.
4. Preventing incidents of poisoning
From early October to February of the following year, the Great Bustards undergo winter migration in Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi provinces. Cangzhou, located in the middle of their migratory route, becomes an important stopover and wintering ground where some areas with abundant food resources attract a significant number of Great Bustards.To prevent the young wheat seedlings in the wheat field from being eaten by the farmer’s grazing sheep, some villagers spread dates smeared with poison in their own wheat fields and inserted signs with the word “poisonous” in the field to warn shepherds not to let their sheep graze in the wheat field. However, the Great Bustards, being illiterate, would also consume the poisoned dates, resulting in harm to them. Therefore, CCAfa volunteers, in collaboration with local police officers and village officials, used village broadcasts and other means to explain the interests involved to the villagers, prohibiting such poisoning activities, and suggesting that villagers and sheep owners coordinate to find a solution and avoid the use of poisonous substances in the wheat field to prevent the Great Bustards from being accidentally poisoned.
5. Solving the problem of burning farmland in the habitat of Great Bustards
In early February 2020, CCAfa volunteers discovered extensive burning of farmland in the core area of Jinzhou and the coastal new district. This burning was done to kill off grass seeds and insect eggs, reducing weed growth and pests during the following year’s planting. However, this practice greatly affected the foraging of the Great Bustard population that came to winter there. Although burning had occurred before, it usually started around March when the Great Bustards and Grey Herons had already migrated away, so the impact was minimal. But the early burning in February 2020 brought a survival crisis to the Great Bustards. Burning turned the land into charcoal black, which endangered the habitat of the Great Bustards as it led to food shortages and hunger. Through the efforts of the CBCGDF-CCAfa reserve director and volunteers, relevant departments in Jinzhou conducted investigations and increased efforts to combat straw burning. While fighting against the epidemic, they attached great importance to the conservation of wildlife.
In summary, CBCGDF, through mobilizing public participation via “Biodiversity Conservation in our Neighborhoods” (BCON), is protecting the Great Bustards. The conservation achievements have been remarkable, with the number of overwintering Great Bustards recorded in China increasing from over 500 in 2016 to over 1600 now as a clear evidence that communities’ participation makes a huge difference. This also demonstrates the significant results of people’s participation in conservation efforts.
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This is a video for the origin of Community Conservation Areas for Great Bustards:
https://mp.pdnews.cn/Pc/ArtInfoApi/video?id=39768182
This is a CMS report, which mentions the Community Conservation Areas for Great Bustards’s conservation for Great Bustards:
https://www.cms.int/en/document/report-implementation-concerted-action-great-bustard-otis-tarda-asia
This is a preliminary report on overwintering Great Bustards in China from 2022 to 2023
http://z.cbcgdf.org/nd.jsp?id=1060
This is a series of news report (not limited to):
·Leading Chinese conservation organization organizes symposium on Great Bustard at CMS Meeting
http://eurasianbustardalliance.org/archives/555
·CBCGDF’s Community Conservation Area for Great Bustard rescued tundra swan at a farm house
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=eLnwXrXL4qs
·BCON |CBCGDF volunteers mobilizing People's Participation in safeguarding great bustards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=QP9izcQ51fs
·CBCGDF Volunteers on Patrol - To Protect Great Bustards Wintering in Farmlands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1Z309OF0QVg
·Chinese NGO contributes biodiversity data to global platform
http://www.china.org.cn/china/2018-07/11/content_56190366.htm
·On Post 2020 Biodiversity Framework on CBD, mentioning CCAfa’s Great Bustard conservation
https://www.cbd.int/doc/strategic-plan/Post2020/postsbi/zhou.pdf
·Attempts to give the bustard species a flying start
·#ccafa on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/ccafa
Reporter: Sherry & Daisy
Checked by Sara
Editor: Daisy
Contact: v10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776
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