Original article in Chinese
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/T81AxgAkHIvRwdslPQ574g
Nineteen academicians and scholars jointly called for the eradication of illegal consumption and trading of wild animals and the control of a major public health crisis Original Shanshui Nature Conservation Center fighting with you Yesterday
There were 639 confirmed diagnoses nationwide, 422 suspected and 17 deaths. We don’t know how much these numbers will turn into when we wake up, but apart from anxiety and fear, how much we want to do something.
Following the initiative 1.0 proposed by Professor Lu Zhi the day before yesterday (→ Lu Zhi | Raising the wildlife trade to public safety for management), Professor Lu Zhi took the lead in one day to complete and improve, and recruited nineteen national universities, Academicians and scholars of scientific research institutes jointly sign the initiative.
Again, we look forward to your support as you read this initiative. In addition, the “Specific Suggestions on Managing Wildlife Utilization from the Source” drafted by Professor Lu Zhi has also been completed.
You can read the QR code at the end of the article or check out the two articles of Shanshui Company today.
Here is the full text of the initiative
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The epidemic of the new coronavirus pneumonia that originated in Wuhan is a new round of public health crisis after SARS in 2003. Preliminary information from national disease control agencies and professional researchers have shown that the source of the new coronavirus this time points to the wildlife trade market just like SARS.
In fact, scientific research shows that new infectious diseases such as Hendra, Nipah virus, H7N9 avian influenza, Ebola, Middle East respiratory syndrome and so on, which have appeared in recent years all over the world, are related to animals. Statistics show that more than 70% of new infectious diseases originate from animals. These viruses originally exist in nature, and wildlife hosts do not necessarily cause disease and death. However, because humans eat wild animals or erode wildlife habitats, the contact surface between these viruses and humans has greatly increased, giving viruses from wild animals to humans.
Transmission creates conditions that endanger public health. Coupled with the convenience of transportation and the movement of population, the probability of an epidemic outbreak has greatly increased.
It can be seen that controlling or even eliminating wild animal food and related trade is not only necessary for ecological protection, but also of great significance for public health risk control. In view of this, we call on wildlife supervisors and law enforcement departments, as well as market supervision departments, to play a greater role in a timely manner, manage the illegal wildlife trade from the source, and completely eliminate illegal wildlife consumption.
Our recommendations are as follows:
1. As soon as possible across the country, the local wildlife authorities, market supervision departments and disease quarantine departments shall jointly enforce law, strictly inspect the status of wild animals and their products currently traded on the market, and ban and severely crack down on illegal wildlife markets and trade. As well as the illegal operation of restaurants and public release of relevant information, creating public and social pressure.
2. In the long run, it is necessary to consider and manage the risks posed by wildlife trade and consumption as public safety issues. The People’s Congress and the competent government departments should establish more comprehensive regulations and management mechanisms.
Consumers are educated on health, safety and ecological protection.
details as follows:
a) Establish a long-term mechanism for reviewing and supervising the operation of wild animal domestication, breeding, and production and operation license units by the competent wildlife department. Any illegal acts shall be banned, especially those named domestication and reproduction, which are illegal acquisitions and hunting. Anyone who catches wild animals for trade must be punished severely. This incident should be used as an opportunity to rectify the chaos in the wildlife domestication, breeding, production and operation industries, comprehensively clean up irregular and illegal production and operation activities, and strictly prohibit the use of the state’s key protection of wild animals and rare and endangered animals. The contents of the legal business license approved by the competent authority shall be made public and subject to public supervision at any time.
b) The National People’s Congress urgently revised the “Chinese Wildlife Protection Law” to include public health and safety content into the provisions on the use of wild animals. According to China’s “Wildlife Protection Law” and “Regulations on the Implementation of Terrestrial Wildlife Protection”, there are no direct regulations on the prohibition and restriction of eating wild animals. At present, there are loopholes in the procedures and management of the approval and approval of domestication and breeding of wild animals by the forestry department.
Often there are cases of protection, domestication or breeding, which are illegal purchases, sales and consumption of wild animals, and lay the ground for the trade and consumption of wild animals. Hidden danger.
The relevant legislation should be revised and improved as soon as possible, and the consumption of wild animals should be banned, the law enforcement department and its duties of market supervision related to wildlife management should be clarified, and the punishment for illegal use of wild animals should be increased, and illegal consumption should also be included in the scope of management and punishment.
c) Advocate to change the narrow concept of “Wildlife Protection Is For Utilization” in the whole society, strengthen publicity efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats, explain the relationship between human survival and ecosystem service functions, and protect nature protection The association with public safety risks and everyone makes the bad habits of wild animals that have become a luxury rather than a necessity gradually fade out of people’s living habits, makes wildlife protection deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, becomes the mainstream of society, and implements the concept of ecological civilization to everyone In action.
d) Value 2020 When the 15th Conference of the Parties to Biodiversity is convened in Kunming, the media should emphasize the protection of native wildlife populations and habitats, and the government strongly supports research in the wild.
We solemnly call for an end to the illegal trade and consumption of wild animals and control of major public health risks from the source. It is hoped that the competent government departments, academics and the general public will work together to transform the crisis into actions to protect ecology and public safety in a timely and effective manner!
Exposing the Big Game 