Nine organizations, including Peking University’s Nature Conservation and Social Development Research Center, the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center, Duke Kunshan University, and the Beijing Friendship Institute of Nature and Environment of Chaoyang District, have jointly made a proposal to the Legal Work Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) regarding the expected amendment to China’s Wildlife Protection Law.
China’s Wildlife Protection Law, originally enacted in 1989, is expected to be amended very soon, partly as a reaction to the coronavirus outbreak, which many have blamed on the trade and consumption of wild animals. A couple of days ago, the NPC passed new measures restricting the trade of wildlife and banning the consumption of bushmeat and the sale of wildlife for meat consumption at wet markets, which will remain valid until the Law can be permanently amended.
Among other things, the nine organizations propose that the amended law should talk about the protection of the habitat of wild animals, as well as the animals themselves; expand the scope of the law to cover all wild animals; and explicitly prohibit the consumption of all wild animals, including “specially bred” ones.
