Introduction to Ecological and Biodiversity Monitoring in China

Abstract

China is one of the world’s richest countries for biodiversity (China EPA 1998; Xu et al. 1999a,b), with more than 34,984 species of higher plants and 6,445 species of vertebrates (Ministry of Environmental Protection of China 2011), including numerous endemic species. Biodiversity provides significant ecosystem goods and services (Costanza et al. 1997) and generates considerable economic benefits (Balmford et al. 2002), which play an important role in building a harmonious society for China (Xu et al. 2008, 2009). China has launched a large number of initiatives for biodiversity conservation and has already had remarkable achievements, including the world’s fastest growth in forest resources and ongoing improvement in the integrity of marine ecosystems (Xu et al. 2009). Despite these successes, the decline in most of China’s biodiversity resource remains unchecked. The loss of biodiversity threatens an irreversible change in ecosystems, ultimately preventing China from realizing its strategic targets to build a well-off society and to construct an ecological civilization.