On May 20, 2024, the fourth edition of Procuratorial Daily
Anhui Nanling: Yangtze River "Living Fossils" Enjoy New Homeland
▲ Aerial View of Heyi Core Area of Changle District, Anhui National Nature Reserve for Alligator
In early summer, the wheat waves in the south of the Yangtze River are green and yellow, and the seedlings are green.
On May 9, the reporter, together with Lu Yueping, the Procurator General of Nanling County Procuratorate in Anhui Province, and Zha Yali, a member of the Party Leadership Group and director of the Second Procuratorate Department of the People's Procuratorate, drove from Jishan Town, where Nanling County is located, along the 318 National Highway eastward to about 20 kilometers away. Looking north, a huge billboard with the words "Protect rare animals, alligators" stood beside the national highway. Following the guidance of the billboard, the vehicle turns north to the village road about 1km, and then arrives at Changle Wild Chinese Alligator Conservation Station in Changle District, Anhui Chinese Alligator National Nature Reserve.
As soon as they got off the bus, Lu Yueping and Zha Yali greeted the patrolmen waiting here, Zhang Sheng and Ye Yicheng warmly. It can be seen that they are very familiar with each other. The Changle Wild Alligator Conservation Station is actually Zhang Sheng's home. Entering the main room, the plaque of "Family of Protecting Alligators" on the wall and the relevant photos of protecting alligators are very eye-catching. Zha Yali told reporters that more than 40 years ago, Zhang Sheng's grandfather, Zhang Jinyin, became the first generation of volunteer crocodile protectors after he found a Chinese alligator in his own pond, and Zhang Sheng was the third generation. Under the long-term protection of them and other patrolmen, Changle District is full of stories about the coexistence of human and crocodile.
Known as the "living fossil", the Chinese alligator is a unique alligator in China and a national first-class key protected wild animal. It is not only a unique reptile in the Yangtze River basin, but also a rare wild species more rare than the giant panda. It plays an important role in the top of the food chain in the wetland ecological chain, and has important value and role in maintaining wetland ecology and maintaining species balance.
▲ Core Habitat of Changle Area of Anhui National Nature Reserve for Chinese Alligator
In Anhui, the main protected objects of the Chinese alligator national nature reserve are the Chinese alligator and its ecological environment. It is located in the hilly area on the south bank of the Yangtze River, across the five districts and counties of Xuanzhou, Langxi, Guangde, Jing County, Xuancheng City, and Nanling, Wuhu City. The reserve covers a total area of 18565 hectares, and is composed of eight districts, including Zhu Village, Gaojingmiao, Yanglin, Hongxing, Xiadu, Shuangkeng, Zhongqiao, and Changle. Changle District is located in Jishan Town and Yijiang Town, Nanling County, with a total area of 3170 meters, There are 11 administrative villages and 152 natural villages in 2 towns, with a total population of about 21000. Zhang Sheng is responsible for patrolling the core area of Changle District, covering more than 800 mu.
The afternoon sun is warm and moist. Passing through the main room of Zhang Sheng's family, there were two large connected ponds behind. A Chinese alligator was lazily basking in the sun on the bank, and soon climbed into the pond again. "After the procuratorate took charge of this matter, there are fewer illegal fishing in the reserve now!" Zhang Sheng told the two prosecutors.
▲ Chinese alligator in the sun
In February 2023, Zhang Sheng, who is also a volunteer on the platform of "Benevolence for the Public", reported to the Nanling County Procuratorate that there were net fishing and external personnel entering the core area to fish within the Reserve. He Jianfeng, a member of the CPPCC Wuhu Municipal Committee and a volunteer of the "Public Interest" platform, also reported this problem to the procuratorial organ.
The Procuratorate of Nanling County acted quickly. After preliminary investigation and verification, the volunteers reported that the situation was true: external personnel entered the core area without permission to fish and threw away a lot of garbage at will, which not only damaged the living conditions of Chinese alligators but also directly affected the ecological environment of their habitat. In addition, A large number of ground cages and other fishing tools that the patrolmen persuaded to clean up during the patrolling process also directly threaten the survival safety of Chinese alligators, with major potential safety hazards.
On March 16 of the same year, the Nanling County Procuratorate, together with many departments, held a joint symposium in Changle Village, Jishan Town, aiming to form a consensus on the protection of the habitat environment for Chinese alligators through exchanges. After continuous follow-up, it was found that the above behaviors had not been effectively curbed. On June 29 of the same year, the Nanling County Procuratorate issued procuratorial recommendations to the Nanling County Agricultural and Rural Bureau, the County Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, the territorial government and other units, urging them to work together to restore the habitat of Chinese alligators in the Reserve.
Under the promotion of the procuratorial organ, Nanling County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau took the lead in formulating the special rectification plan of "net clearing" and "no fishing" in the Chinese alligator reserve, and carried out a two month joint special rectification and centralized unified action in August of the same year. It carried out 8 ship clearing and net clearing inspections, 8 law enforcement patrols and law popularization publicity, and 48 law enforcement vehicles There were 12 law enforcement boats, 220 law enforcement officers were dispatched, more than 800 publicity materials were distributed, 36 nets such as cages and gill nets were cleared in natural waters, more than 620 people around were publicized and educated, and nearly 2000 mu of water area was controlled in the Yangtze alligator reserve, and nearly 3000 people were attracted by the surrounding people. Since then, the Nanling County Procuratorate has confirmed that the relevant administrative organs have completed the rectification on schedule and achieved remarkable results through "looking back", and has successively made decisions to terminate cases.
"Compared with illegal fishing, alien species such as Canada goldenrod and snails are more aggressive to the habitat environment of Chinese alligators. It not only endangers the food chain safety of Chinese alligators, but also destroys biodiversity, and even changes the structure and function of the ecosystem," Lu Yueping told reporters. On July 21, 2022, the Procuratorate of Nanling County, together with Nanling Station of Anhui National Nature Reserve Administration of Alligator sinensis, conducted a joint inspection of Changle District, and found that there were a large number of exotic species "Canadian goldenrod" and "snails" in the reserve. On August 24 of the same year, Nanling County Procuratorate filed an administrative public interest lawsuit against the problem of alien species prevention and control in Changle District. A few days later, Lu Yueping presided over a hearing on this administrative public interest litigation case and listened to the opinions of the hearers and all parties.
▲ On August 31, 2022, the Procuratorate of Nanling County, Anhui Province held an administrative public interest litigation hearing on urging the remediation of alien species in Changle District, a national nature reserve for Chinese alligators.
On the basis of the hearing, the Nanling County Procuratorate formulated and issued procuratorial suggestions to Nanling County Agricultural and Rural Bureau, Nanling County Natural Resources and Planning Bureau and other units according to law, and required them to perform their respective duties. After receiving the procuratorial suggestions, Nanling County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, together with the county procuratorate, held a special meeting and the chamber of commerce to formulate several work plans such as the prevention and control of alien invasive species, and at the same time, organized the centralized eradication of "a yellow flower", which totaled about 150000 plants. The governments of Jishan Town and Yijiang Town have invested more than 500000 yuan to clean up more than 1850 mu of "yellow flowers" in the core area and buffer zone of Chinese alligators, and more than 200 mu of snails. On December 2, 2022, Nanling County Procuratorate made a decision to terminate the case based on the rectification.
▲ On September 23, 2022, the Procuratorate of Nanling County, Anhui Province, together with relevant departments and units, held a special conference and chamber of commerce to promote the prevention and control of alien species.
Nanling County Procuratorate urged the rectification of the administrative public interest litigation case of alien species in Changle area of the national alligator nature reserve, which was later rated as "China's top ten environmental judicial cases" in 2022. Li Xinyu, secretary of Nanling County Party Committee, made special comments and praised this, demanding to consolidate the achievements, expand the achievements, and form an example driven by cases.
"The protection of Changle District used to be 'Jiulong Water Control'. After the procuratorial organ actively performed its duties, the biggest change was to promote the relevant functional departments and territorial governments to form a joint force for protection, which made the responsibilities of all parties clearer," said Zha Yali.
▲ Chinese alligators in Changle District of National Nature Reserve
At the end of the interview, the reporter saw that in the middle of Zhang Sheng's pond, there was a naturally formed island with lush trees. Pond herons and egrets were playing to their heart's content. They and the Chinese alligators wandering in the pond formed a harmonious "fairy moving picture". (See the time report is deleted)
Alligator sinensis is an endemic species in China, which is distributed in Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other provinces and cities along the Yangtze River. The Chinese alligator is a small and medium-sized species, with a body length of about 1.5 meters, and the largest can reach 2 meters; They have the habit of hibernation and live by rivers and lakes. They are carnivorous animals and prey on fish, birds, crustaceans, crabs and snails; Summer spawning; The kiss is short and flat; The limbs are short and thick, the forelimbs have 5 fingers without web, and the toe ends have claws; 4-toed half web of hind limb; The back is dark brown or dark yellow, and the belly is gray; The tail is long and flat, mixed with gray black or gray yellow stripes. The national protection level is Level I. (The content and pictures are from the database of China Natural Ecology Encyclopedia)
