A List Adjustment Of The Local Key Protected Terrestrial Vertebrates In Hunan Province,China

The Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Wild Animals specifies that local key protected wildlife refers to wildlife that is protected by provinces,autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government,in addition to those protected by the State.The list is formulated and published by the people’s governments of provinces,autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government after organising scientific proof and evaluation and consulting the competent wildlife protection departments of the State Council.The list is an important basis for formulating countermeasures for wildlife protection and is of great significance to the conservation of biodiversity in Hunan Province.Since the publication of the List of Local Key Protected Wildlife in Hunan Province in 2002,the resource status,habitat status protection status and threatened level of wildlife of the province have changed considerably,and the original classification system and order of classification have been adjusted.In addition,many new species and new records have been reported in the province in recent years,and the original list is no longer compatible with the new situation and requirements of ecological civilization and wildlife conservation.This study systematically collected literature on the classification of terrestrial wild vertebrates of Hunan Province in the past 20 years,referred to the latest research results in taxonomy and molecular biosystematics,combined with the terrestrial wild vertebrate resource surveys I participated in during 2020-2023 and the long-term field survey data of my team,based on the Second National Terrestrial Wildlife Resource Survey Report of Hunan Province.We systematically collated information on terrestrial vertebrates in Hunan Province and used the hierarchical analysis method to study the adjustment of terrestrial vertebrates in the List of Key Protected Wildlife in Hunan Province,and put forward corresponding conservation measures and suggestions.The main research findings are as follows:(1)The adjusted List of the Key Protected Terrestrial Wildlife Vertebrates in Hunan Province includes 265 species of terrestrial vertebrates,belonging to 24 orders and 77 families.Among them,39 species in 6 orders and 16 families of mammalia,115 species in 14 orders and 37 families of aves,78 species in 2 orders and 18 families of reptilia,and 33 species in 2 orders and 6 families of amphibia,with the largest number of species in Chiroptera,Passeriformes,Serpentes,Anura respectively.(2)Compared with the 2002 edition of the "List of Local Key Protected Wildlife in Hunan Province",this adjustment of the list of terrestrial vertebrates has added 37 new species,transferred out 97 species and retained 228 species.Among the 97 species transferred out,29 species were promoted to national key wildlife protection,accounting for 29.9%of the total number of species transferred out.(3)The 265 terrestrial vertebrate species were adjusted,and the threatened levels were 3 critically endangered,14 endangered,25 vulnerable,35 near threatened,177 least concern and 11 data deficient.A total of 42 species belong to the threatened category,accounting for 15.9%of the total number of species.(4)In comparison with Mammalia,Aves and Amphibia,listed reptiles account for the highest proportion(73.6%)of the total number of species of Reptilia in Hunan Province.The main reasons for the listing of species are habitat degradation or loss,and the high intensity of human interference.(5)Since the publication of the 2002 edition of the original list,wildlife conservation in Hunan Province has achieved significant conservation success,with populations of Sus scrofa,Pica pica and other species increasing significantly and requiring population regulation.In view of the current situation of the key protected terrestrial vertebrate resources in Hunan Province,the following conservation and management recommendations are made:①Improve laws and regulations,strengthen law enforcement and supervision;②Manage at source and restore degraded habitats;③Strengthen wildlife monitoring and nature reserve management;④ Strengthen wildlife rescue,carry out popular science and education,and raise public awareness of wildlife protection.