The first non-governmental organization (NGO) award for wildlife
conservation, the China Wildlife Conservation Award, sponsored by
the China Environmental Protection Foundation (CEPF) and US-based
WildAid, was granted to five Chinese individuals and collectives in
Beijing on Thursday.
Five gold medal winners were selected by the award's expert
committee for the inaugural award.
"This award might be the highest honor I get in my life, and I
resolve to go on protecting wildlife in my remaining years," said
Zhang Chunshan, one of the winners.
Zhang, a farmer in southwest China's Yunnan
Province, braved pressure and threats when he blew the whistle
on the mass destruction of Chinese yew trees by a local enterprise
some five years ago. He also successfully campaigned for the guilty
parties' punishment by law.
Yang Xin, another winner, has worked on environmental protection
in the upstream area of the Yangtze River for the past 18
years.
"If the ecological problems in this area aren't handled
properly, it is possible that in the near future the glacier will
disappear completely and the Yangtze River trickle through the
middle of a desert," said Yang.
A state-level nature reserve in Hubei
Province was honored for re-introducing David's Deer into
China.
The Urumqi Anti-smuggling Department in Xinjiang
received merit for uncovering cases of smuggling of endangered
species.
The Dadian Nature Reserve in southernmost China's Hainan
Province was awarded for reproducing endangered species.
"China is playing an increasingly vital role in protecting
wildlife internationally. I hope Chinese people can keep fighting
against the illegal trade and hunting of wildlife," said Steve
Trent, president of WildAid.
"China has made quite a few breakthroughs in wildlife
conservation in recent years, especially in raising public
awareness on the subject," said Qu Geping, president of the board
of directors of CEPF. "However, illegal hunting and trading of
wildlife here remain rampant, so we still have a difficult task
ahead."
CEPF, founded in 1993, is the first NGO dedicated to
environmental protection in China.
In 1992, Qu, the first administrator of the China National
Environmental Protection Bureau, was awarded the United Nations
Sasakawa Environment Prize, one of the most prestigious
international environmentalism prizes.
He used all of the US$100,000 award money to establish the
CEPF.
(Xinhua News Agency, CRI.com May 20, 2005)