On May 26, Hunan Province held its main event for the International Day for Biological Diversity (observed annually on May 22), which was combined with the "Green Guardians' Journey to Hunan" activity. At the event, the province identified ten key tasks for biodiversity protection in 2026, focusing on multiple areas such as species protection, habitat restoration, monitoring and supervision, invasive species prevention and control, germplasm resource protection, ecological construction, and publicity and education.

This year, Hunan will release the "Notice on Prohibited Tools and Methods for Hunting Terrestrial Wildlife." The province will establish a working mechanism for bird protection, further advancing bird protection initiatives and special campaigns to combat illegal bird hunting and trafficking, so as to effectively safeguard the "Millennium Bird Trail."

To strengthen the monitoring and management of aquatic organisms and alien species, Hunan will carry out monitoring of aquatic biological resources in Dongting Lake, the Hunan section of the Yangtze River, and the main streams of the Xiangjiang, Zijiang, Yuanjiang, and Lishui rivers. Additionally, the province will promote the monitoring and early warning of agricultural alien species and alien invasive species at key ports, vigorously advance the comprehensive treatment of major harmful invasive species such as the golden apple snail, and guard against the risk of biological invasion.

To enhance ecological quality monitoring capabilities, Hunan will continue to promote the construction of comprehensive ecological quality monitoring stations across the province, integrate them into the national monitoring network, improve monitoring capabilities, and provide data support for ecological protection supervision.

To advance the protection and utilization of germplasm resources, Hunan will focus on rice, vegetables, dry coarse cereals, and canola, conducting genotypic and phenotypic characterization of germplasm resources, with a target of characterizing more than 1,000 germplasm accessions annually. The province will also organize a campaign to collect germplasm resources for traditional Chinese medicinal materials.

The province will accelerate the completion of the overall acceptance inspection for the Dongting Lake Shan-Shui Initiative and establish a sound long-term management and protection mechanism. The Shan-Shui Initiative, which translates as "mountains and rivers" initiative, is China's ambitious country-wide effort that aims to restore 10 million hectares of natural spaces, including mountains, forests, grasslands and waterways, by 2030.

To promote the construction of urban "pocket parks," Hunan plans to build 60 high-quality pocket parks throughout the year, continuously optimizing the urban ecological environment.

Hunan will carry out themed publicity and achievements promotion activities effectively. The province will continue to organize themed publicity activities for events such as the International Day for Biological Diversity, World Wildlife Day, and Bird-Loving Week, and will select and release outstanding practical achievements in provincial-level biodiversity protection and sustainable use for 2026.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn