Protect Biological Reserves and Guard Diverse Homeland

In the 1980s， people learned gradually from the experience of nature protection that among the various species， and between organisms and the environment， there exists a very close link， thus the solely protection of species itself is not enough. In this context， the concept of biodiversity was created.

Biodiversity refers to the aggregation of the ecological complexes formed by all organisms in the Earth's biosphere （ie. the animals， the plants， the microbes， and their genes） and the environment they live as well as related ecological processes. Simply put， all the different kinds of life， living on a planet， alternate with and impact each other， so that the earth's ecology is balanced.

China's vast land， broad waters， complex and varied natural conditions contributes to the very rich life forms， enabling China to be one of the countries with particularly rich biodiversity in the world. China not only embraces various types of terrestrial ecosystems， but also complete marine and fresh water ecosystems. Wetlands are distributed in China as well except tundra wetland.

Nearly 35，000 kinds of higher plants（of which more than half are endemic） can be found in China， ranking third in the world； China owns 6445 kinds of vertebrates， accounting for 13.7% of the total number of species in the world； China embraces more than 10，000 kinds of identified fungal species， accounting 14% of the world's total number of species. In addition， China also has a large number of endemic and endangered species， which is rare in the world.

Rich biodiversity brings to human tremendous value. For direct use values， it provides humanity with food， medicines， fibers， furniture， building materials and other industrial raw materials， which meet the basic needs of human. Special genes of organisms （such as cold， disease resistance genes， insect resistance genes） also make it possible to cultivate new varieties of plants and animals. For indirect use values， the biodiversity has important ecological functions as regulating water， maintaining climate and others， which is the basis for maintaining ecosystem stability and human existence. It plays an irreplaceable role in the maintenance of the green national ecological security barrier.

Each kind of life in the nature is unique and irreplaceable. Once a species disappeared from the earth， it cannot be regenerated and its various potential values would be gone forever. To protect our rich biodiversity resources is the preparation for the reserves of our country's bio-genetic resources. Following fossil energy， biological genetic resources are viewed as the last piece of humanity "gold market". It is related to the strategic resources for sustainable development of the Chinese nation. Our country is the origin of rice， soybeans and other important crops and major origin of wild and cultivated fruit trees. China is also among the worlds richest countries in terms of domesticated animal species. Rich biological genetic resources are the fundamental guarantee of ecological security and food security in China. There still remains a large potential to develop.

It is worth noting that the precious biodiversity resources in our country are still in the loss， which has not been effectively curbed. Fortunately， people have been aware of this and have actively joined the ranks of protectors. As the approach of "International Biodiversity Day" on May 22， let us join hands to promote China's concerns on and protection of the conservation of biological diversity and secure our sovereignty of biological resources so as to make our "pride of China "sustained and add luster and glory to the beautiful Chinese dream.