How China protects rare and endangered plant species

A visitor was attracted by clusters of pretty and rare blooming flowers and took one back home when she was hiking in the mountains in Beijing's Mentougou District in 2022. She didn't expect to be put into custody for her actions.

The plant she took is named Clematis acerifolia and is a native and endangered species only distributed in a narrow range in Beijing. It is on the country's list of second-class, state-protected plant species.

Removed from its natural habitat, the plant died. The species usually lives on rocky cliffs and is sensitive to its environment.

This case wasn't the only one in China where people faced criminal charges for illegally picking protected plants.

In 2023, three people were imprisoned and fined for illegally digging out 2,500 kilograms of Cibotium barometz, or woolly fern, in southwest China's Guizhou Province. Despite being listed as a second-class, state-protected plant species, the fern is often illegally removed for medicinal use.

How do law enforcement officials deal with these plants after confiscating them from criminals?

Some rare plants that have been dug up and transported to other regions will be returned to their original habitat if certain conditions are met, according to Lin Youxin, a member of the think tank for environmental resources cases at the Lucheng District People's Court in east China's Zhejiang Province.

Usually, the plants will be sent to local botanical gardens for care, or sometimes they will be transplanted to locations with better environmental conditions, Lin said.

Legislative journey

In 1997, the crime of illegally felling and destroying precious trees was introduced into the country's Criminal Law listed as Article 344. Amendment IV to the law in 2002 extended the objects of protection from precious trees to other plants under special state protection. The latest revision of the article came into force in March 2021.

Charges, provisions and penalties are also modified with the expanding scope of protection, and the deepening perception of plant protection, which reflects China's firm will and active attitude to protect rare and endangered plants at the legislative level, said Cheng Wei, a lawyer from the Beijing Guanling Law Firm.

Man's relationship with plants

Referring to the relationship between humans and plants, Shi Jun, a doctor from the Institute of Botany under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said human beings have always thought of themselves as the spirit of all things, overlooking the whole ecosystem. When talking about plants, the first thing that comes to people's minds is their medicinal and edible value.

"We need to rethink the relationship between humans and plants," Shi said. "We should be aware that we are all equal with other animals, plants and even microorganisms."

Protecting rare and endangered wild plants is not only essential for conserving the whole food chain and keeping the balance of the ecosystem but also significant for developing new resources in the future.

He also said we should not forget the important genetic component of the hybrid rice we eat almost every day is derived from wild rice.

"It took mankind about 8,000 years to develop agriculture. All the good food can be purchased from the market, all the medicine is in the pharmacy, and beautiful flowers are in the florist shop," Shi said.