Final Report - Asian Development Bank

TA 4721-PRC: Preparing the Shaanxi-Qinling Mountains Integrated Ecosystem Management Project
Final Report Appendix 5
ANNEX 17: SUGGESTED FAUNA PROGRAM IN THE QINLING MOUNTAINS & PROJECT AREA
A. Part 1: Chinese Giant Salamander Population Re-establishment
Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus) belongs to Amphibia, Caudata, Cryptobranchidae. It
is the unique and the ancient and the biggest body and the longest living wild amphibian in the world.
It is listed as a protected aquatic wild animal in China. Considering its threatened condition, Chinese
Giant Salamander is listed as Critically Endangered in IUCN/SSC and . There are only three species of Cryptobranchidae in the world. Besides Chinese
Giant Salamander, there are Japanese Giant Salamander (Andrias japonicus) in Japan and
Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) in USA. Chinese Giant Salamander is a rare species
existing in the Carboniferous period 350 million years ago and is a vertebrate transforming from an
aquatic animal (gill respiration) to terrestrial animal (pulmonary respiration). Therefore, it is called
“living fossil”, having epoch-making significance in the history of evolution and important value in
scientific research.
Chinese Giant Salamander distributes in ravine streams in Yangtze River area and the middle and
lower reaches of the Yellow River and Pearl River in 17 provinces in China. Because the Qinling
Mountains (including the Qinling National Botanical Garden ) in Shaanxi Province have a rich and
diverse flora, suitable climate and moisture and other nature ecological conditions, the area became
the major habitat of Chinese Giant Salamander in China. Before the 1970s’, Chinese Giant
Salamander was widely distributed in the hidden rivers or springs and caves along the ravine streams
in the limestone layers at elevations above 600 m. Because of its high edible and medical value as
well as certain ornamental value, it is illegally captured. More important, in recent years, the habitat of
Chinese Giant Salamander has been fragmented, destroyed, and degraded and the species ability to
naturally repopulate habitats has been reduced. As a result, the population of Chinese Giant
Salamander declines rapidly, its distribution area declines, and individual Salamanders are smaller.
Chinese Giant Salamander is now extinct in many parts of its former range. The ecological
environment of its breeding areas is destroyed and its habitats are highly fragmented. These factors
have driven Chinese Giant Salamander to near extinction.
To save and conserve the resources of Chinese Giant Salamander, 13 provinces in China started
captive breeding experiments in the late 1990s’ and made essential progress toward a project to
protect and save Chinese Giant Salamander. Among them, Shaanxi Normal University has carried
out a program----The Bionical Captive Breeding Chinese Giant Salamander Research. According to
Chinese Giant Salamander biological habits and characteristics, this program first established a model
that captive breeding and training Chinese Giant Salamander in a simulated natural ecological
environment in China, and successes in breeding Chinese Giant Salamander for 3 years. Each of the
program’s technical criteria is at the top of the same trade in China. On March 2, 2007 at the
achievement appraising meeting organized by Science and Technique Department of Shaanxi
Province, the program gained high praise. It is considered to be in the leading position among similar
research in China. Carrying out this program is significant for protecting and recovering Chinese Giant
Salamander as well as improving the consciousness of nature resources protecting and financial
condition in countryside.
Basing on the fact of resources of Chinese Giant Salamander in China including Qinling Mountains
and the recent technical achievements, Chinese Giant Salamander re-introduction and population reestablishment
program should be developed in the Qinling National Botanical Garden (the Project
Area). To complete this program, we suggest it be supervised and organized by Shaanxi Province
Fishery Administration Department and the Qinling National Botanical Garden, participated by the
project area farmers who are trained and directed by professional staff from Shaanxi Normal
University. If the program gets the financial support from GEF, Chinese Giant Salamander population
will resume to 5,000 in the Project Area in 3-5 years and copy to the whole Qinling area making
Chinese Giant Salamander population in Qinling area resume to 100,000 or more in 5 years.
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