A CIRCULAR DECREE OF THE STATE COUNCIL CONCERNING STRICT PROTEC-TION OF PRECIOUS AND RARE WILD ANIMALS
A CIRCULAR DECREE OF THE STATE COUNCIL CONCERNING STRICT PROTEC-TION OF PRECIOUS AND RARE WILD ANIMALS
Important Notice:
This English document is coming from the "LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA GOVERNING FOREIGN-RELATED MATTERS" (1991.7)
which is compiled by the Brueau of Legislative Affairs of the State
Council of the People's Republic of China, and is published by the China
Legal System Publishing House.
In case of discrepancy, the original version in Chinese shall prevail.
Whole Document
A CIRCULAR DECREE OF THE STATE COUNCIL CONCERNING STRICT PROTEC-
TION OF PRECIOUS AND RARE WILD ANIMALS
(Promulgated on April 13, 1983)
Ours is a country which has the largest varieties of wild animals in the
world, accounting for over 10% of the world's total number of varieties of
wild animals. Among these wild animals are giant panda, golden monkey,
Taiwan monkey, takin, Cervus albirostris, Muntiacus crinifrons, Chinese
river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), Chinese alligator, Acipenser sinensis,
Chinese paddlefish, Crossoptilon mantchuricum, jacana, and black-necked
crane, and others -- a total of more than 100 species of precious and
rare wild animals, well known to the world and found exclusively in our
country. Besides those mentioned above, there are some wild animals, such
as red-crowned crane, white crane, red ibis, Ciconia nigra, swan, yellow-
ventraled horned jacana, green-tailed jacana, white-crowned long-tailed
pheasant, gibbon, black-leaf monkey, tufted deer, snow leopard, and wild
camel, which are species of precious and rare wild animals on the brink of
extinction. Wild animals are valuable natural resources of our country,
but for a long time, owing to various reasons, these natural resources
have been faced with the danger of being exhausted. The protection and
rational utilization of these natural resources are of great significance
in maintaining ecological balance, carrying on scientific research,
developing national economy, and promoting the development of culture,
education, medicine, and public health. In the past few years, cases of
hunting precious and rare wild animals, seriously destroying the habitats
of these wild animals, and the illegal acts of exporting these animals and
products made from them, have been frequently reported in various places.
This circular decree is hereby issued in order to check resolutely the
aforesaid illegal acts, and strengthen the protection of and the
administration concerning the precious and rare wild animals:
(1) The protection of precious and rare wild animals constitutes an
important aspect in promoting socialist spiritual civilization and
socialist material civilization, and is also a bounden duty of every
citizen. The people's government at various levels should attach great
importance to this task, strengthen their leadership, and give
administrative orders to the departments concerned to adopt effective
measures to carry out this task. It is imperative to step up publicity and
educational work concerning the protection of precious and rare wild
animals so as to form powerful public opinion in support of this task. The
significance of this task should be made known to everybody, to every
household, so that a new social mode will gradually form under which the
protection of precious and rare wild animals is seen as a virtue and is
concerned by the whole society. In order to do a good job in this respect,
it is necessary to launch a publicity campaign for a period of time; while
we do this, we should integrate our publicity campaign with another
activity -- "a weekly publicity campaign for the protection of birds" --
and take the local specific conditions into consideration.
(2) Indiscriminate catching and wanton hunting of precious and rare wild
animals must be checked resolutely. The provisions concerning the
protection of precious and rare wild animals, promulgated by the State and
by the provinces, the municipalities directly under the Central Government
or the autonomous regions, must be executed strictly. Those who have
violated these provisions and are engaged in hunting precious and rare
wild animals, in buying, selling, or smuggling out of the country these
animals and products made from them illegally, must be thoroughly
investigated and penalized according to law. Typical cases shall be dealt
with promptly and severely, and be published in newspapers for the purpose
of educating all cadres and the broad masses. At the same time, units and
individuals that have done a good job in protecting precious and rare wild
animals shall be commended and rewarded.
(3) The departments concerned in various places must further strengthen
the control over the hunting occupation and over hunting occupation and
over hunting rifles and hunting gear. Without the approval of the
competent authorities under the State Council, no units are permitted to
manufacture and sell hunting rifles and air guns. The provisions
promulgated by the State concerning the prohibition of hunting in certain
areas and hunting in certain seasons, and of the use of a particular kind
of hunting gear and hunting method, must be strictly executed; those who
have violated these provisions shall be penalized according to law.
(4) The exportation of precious and rare wild animals and products made
from them is forbidden. In cases where such exports are necessary, the
cases must be handled by strictly going through the procedures for
examination and approval in accordance with the provisions promulgated by
the State, and the said cases shall be examined and approved by the Office
of the People's Republic of China for the Administration of the Import and
Export of Species on the Brink of Extinction, which shall be responsible
for issuing the export certificate.
(5) Scientific research on precious and rare wild animals shall be
strengthened. Research work shall be conducted in a planned way into the
resources survey and the artificial breeding and raising methods of such
animals. In case that wild animals, which should be protected in
accordance with the provisions promulgated by the State, have to be caught
for the purpose of carrying on experiments in the domestication of wild
animals, it is necessary to go through the prescribed procedures for
examination and approval.
(6) Attention should be paid to the protection of the environment for the
survival of precious and rare wild animals. The chief habitats and areas
of breeding for precious and rare wild animals shall, in accordance with
the provisions promulgated by the State, be designated as nature reserves
or sanctuaries, the administration of which should be strengthened and the
construction speeded up. With respect to the chief breeding places for
those wild animals that are now on the brink of extinction, all production
activities that might adversely affect the breeding and subsistence of the
aforesaid animals shall be banned.
The circular decree, as defined above, is hereby made known to all
citizens, who have the obligations to carry it out conscientiously.
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