In May of 2022, it was estimated that 48% of living bird species are either known or suspected to be undergoing population decline. In a world where birds do everything from controlling insect populations to germinating plants, it is in the global community’s best interest to address the rapid decline in bird populations. This is especially important in China, where 8.14% of the world’s total bird species live. Within China, Jiangsu province is especially important as it’s home to 24 internationally important waterbird species. As such, the Kunshan Municipal Government must take action to combat declining bird populations, by expanding and improving existing environmental legislation, especially Ecological Red Lines.
Declining Bird Populations Impact on Wider Ecosystems
Birds are integral to maintaining ecological balance. Around 45% of living bird species are utilized by human beings. However, since the year 1500, 20-25% of all birds have disappeared. Another study estimates that 6-14% of all bird species will go extinct by 2100. In China, ranked 8th out of 213 countries and regions with the most bird species, addressing bird decline is especially important.
The decline in bird populations can largely be traced to rapid urban development and land reclaim efforts, evident through the depletion of coastal wetlands. Coastal wetlands are home to practically all global waterbird species, and China boasts the 4th largest coastal wetland area in the world. However, land claims have led to the depletion of 54% of coastal wetlands in China since 1980. This has led to a 50% depletion of migratory birds in China’s coastal wetlands over the past 30 years. In Jiangsu province, the Yancheng wetland reserve (Asia’s largest coastal wetland), reported a degradation rate of 12.39% over 28 years.
The decline in bird populations also directly affects human health and economy. For example, in India, the decline in rat-eating vultures during 1997 due to habitat destruction directly correlated with the influx in rabies deaths that occurred the same year. Furthermore, declining bird populations can also cause serious economic disruption. Jiangsu Province houses the majority of China’s coastal wetlands which are a home or migratory stopover to ¼th of all waterbird populations worldwide. That being said, the global economic value of coastal wetlands sits at USD $5 trillion annually. This means ¼th of the total waterbird population contributes $5 trillion USD to the international economy. It is clear that maintaining bird habitats is key to global economic stability.
Amending ECR Coverage and Creating Regulatory Board
Standardization of regulatory measures through amendments to existing law, such as ECR (Ecological Red Lines), will help mitigate the conservation gaps in existing policy. ECR is a policy enacted in 2014 by the national Chinese government in order to mark off ⅓ of ecologically important lands as off-limits to development. Though ECR was found to initially have the potential to cover 49% of all important bird sites, the results have not met expectations. A 2018 study found that only around 10% of one ECR protected land was actually protected. As such, it is imperative to standardize ECR implementation measures to ensure successful habitat conservation of China’s birds.
Mandation of ECR coverage to 80% of all wetland areas allows for protection of key sites for bird populations in Jiangsu province and greater China. Wetlands are key migratory stopovers for birds, and contribute heavily to overall social and economic growth. Protecting wetlands means mitigating environmental impacts that affect bird populations, while also filling conservation gaps. Furthermore, expanding on ECR policy rather than making a direct change to an existing policy allows for the measure to be politically feasible. Amending ECR is also effective, as the mandate of ECR to protect 80% of all wetlands alongside existing nature reserves is estimated to cover 73% of all important bird sites, rather than the initial 49%.
In terms of cost, the ECR amendment would concur an immediate economic loss as potential development must be halted in protected regions. However, the benefit of preserving the wetland regions would ultimately cover the loss concurred. The policy can be standardized on a national scale, then implemented by regional government bodies.
It is imperative to amend the existing ECR policy to cover 80% of all wetland areas in China. Doing so is both politically viable and effective, as the policy framework is pre-established and potential benefit analyses show immediate and necessary results. Although the implementation of such would come initially at the cost of stopping development in coastal areas, which in turn is a net loss, the overall environmental and economic impacts far outweigh the immediate cost concerns.
