Mining, prospecting and road building in a nature reserve in
northwest China are sharply shrinking the habitat of wild
camels that could disappear from the region if they're not
better protected, local experts have warned.
A 10-day scientific survey found that the domain of the
two-humped Bactrian camels has shrunk to a "very small" mountainous
area in the Lop Nur State Wild Camel Nature Reserve, southeast of
Turpan, in eastern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
"If the remaining habitat is not protected the wild Bactrian
camels may disappear in Xinjiang," warned Yuan Lei, one of the
seven-member team that conducted the survey last month.
Researchers saw only four wild Bactrian camels, three adults and
a young one, said Yuan, who's also a senior engineer at the nature
reserve.
Yuan blames mining and resource prospecting within the reserve
for scaring the camels away and harming their habitat.
Iron, copper, zinc and lead mines have opened in the past couple
of years in the reserve and Yuan said he did not have enough power
to stop them.
"The problem is how to coordinate resource development with
environmental protection. The reserve doesn't have a police force
so it's difficult to stop illegal mining and prospecting," he
said.
During the recent survey, Yuan handed out literature to miners
and prospectors hoping to raise their awareness of how to protect
the environment.
According to Yuan, most of the mining is taking place around the
perimeter of the reserve but some mines have opened in key
protected areas. A 60-kilometer road has also been built in the
reserve.
Yuan believes the remaining camels have been pushed to the
southwest of the 780,000 square-kilometer reserve.
The Bactrian camels live in northwest China and Mongolia where
there are an estimated 800 of them. Previous estimates in the Lop
Nur nature reserve put their number at 400 but Yuan isn't sure if
that many remain there.
The wild camels have been labeled "critically endangered"
according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources and they're on China's list of protected wild
animals.
(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2007)
