China passes revised law to strengthen protection of wildlife
By CAO YIN | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2022-12-30 20:56
China's top legislature passed a revised Wildlife Protection Law on Friday to strengthen protection of wildlife inhabits and intensify prevention of invasive species.
The amendment to the Wildlife Protection Law was adopted when the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislative body, closed its session on Friday.
The revised law clarifies that terrestrial wild animals with major value to ecology, science and society should be included in a wildlife group to offer emergency rescues, calling for improving the capacity of building wildlife shelters with arrangement of professionals, rescue equipments and medicines.
Highlighting the importance of curbing the presence of invasive species, the amended law, which will come into effect on May 1, also states that wild animal species introduced from overseas must not be illegally released or abandoned.
In response to a case involving the presence of wild boars that were damaging farms, the amendment allows wildlife protection departments at the county level or above to take control measures if finding the population of wild animals such as wild boards in a region that exceeds environmental capacity.
"Wild animals are a major part of the ecosystem. Their living situation is close to humans and sustainable development," said Yue Zhongming, an official from the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission.
He called for all walks of life to implement the revised law and required government agencies with State Council, China's cabinet, to promote the formulation of the law-related supplement regulations.
He also urged judicial departments to strictly fight crimes involving wild animals, to protect the ecology while advancing the high-quality of economic development.
The current Wildlife Protection Law was adopted in 1988. Before the latest amendment, it had been revised respectively in 2004, 2009, 2016 and 2018.
On Friday, the NPC Standing Committee also passed the Reservists Law, which will take effective on March 1.
