China's impressive committment to conservation

China often gets a bad rap in the west on conservation issues. But on our recent visit we were struck by impressive new initiatives. First up - a series of billboards are given prominent position at Beijing airport…

The government has also leading by example and banned the traditional use of shark-fin products at official banquets, and is reaching out to it’s citizens to do the same with this powerful image:

To begin to address the ivory poaching crisis, they destroyed a large quantity of illegally-confiscated ivory in the city of Guangzhou.

Our colleagues at the China State Administration Feline Research Centre in Harbin have received considerable government support for the conservation of the Amur tiger, including huge efforts to crack-down on illegal poaching, and to help reintroduce prey species. One of China’s most public problems is poor air quality in big cities. We experienced 5 days of thick smog on our trip - the locals wear face masks that combined with the smog give the city an eery feel. However, Chinese premier, Li Keqiang recently declared ‘war on pollution’ and has unveiled a series of new policies that will effectively clean China’s air.

So the future looks bright, and with such strong government support China will soon lead the world in progressive conservation policies.