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In 2008 Przewalski's gazelle Procapra przewalskii, endemic to the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China, was recategorized from Critically Endangered to Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The species is still, however, threatened, and the human population and accompanying domestic livestock are increasing around Qinghai Lake. Here we provide up-to-date information on the distribution and population size of the species, evaluate its current conservation status and discuss the difficulties of protecting this gazelle species. We used both distance sampling and total counts to survey 16 sites where the species has been reported and found it at 13 of these, occupying a total area of c. 250 km2. Population size estimated from distance sampling (1,635) and total counts (1,544) was similar. About 20% of the gazelles located were in newly discovered areas for the species. The results indicate an overall growth in the population of Przewalski's gazelle since 2003, although some subpopulations have declined or been extirpated. In spite of conservation efforts Przewalski's gazelle is still threatened by habitat degradation and loss, habitat fragmentation, fencing, intensified competition with domestic livestock and predation. Further growth of this gazelle population is constrained by limited habitat availability and human–gazelle conflict. We recommend that management and conservation strategies need to incorporate comprehensive knowledge of the gazelle, long-term monitoring, and captive breeding of injured and orphaned gazelles to form a potential pool of individuals for future reintroductions to the historical range of the species outside the Qinghai Lake basin. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The most important food competitor of the critically endangered Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra przewalskii) is the domestic Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) in the steppe and deserts around Qinghai Lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We used microscopic analysis of fecal samples from August 1998 to August 2001 to estimate botanical composition in the diets of Przewalski's gazelle and domestic Tibetan sheep. We found that approximately 63-76% of the diet of the Przewalski's gazelle consisted of graminoids, composites, legumes, sedges, and Rosaceae. These plants made up 71-92% of Tibetan sheep diets. Dietary overlap between Przewalski's gazelle and Tibetan sheep ranged from 61% during the plant-growing period to 81% during the plant-withering period, indicating severe food competition between the domestic sheep and gazelle. The dietary diversity of Przewalski's gazelle ranged from 26.5 to 35.6 and that of Tibetan sheep from 37.7 to 40.1. The diversity of plants in the diets was similar between the Przewalski's gazelle and Tibetan sheep (P > 0.05), using the independent t -test. To protect the gazelle, managers should control the number or distribution of the Tibetan sheep and take actions to increase food production for Przewalski's gazelle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trade records show that since the 1990s China has changed from a net exporting to a net importing country with respect to some species of snakes. Imports of snakes to China increased up to 2002, when the National Wildlife Management Authority imposed a suspension of international trade in snakes. We investigated the impact of the ban using the same methods as an earlier study of this trade for the period 1990–2001. We found that both imports and exports of snakes recorded in the CITES Trade Database and the Wild Animal and Plant International Trade Database of China have decreased markedly since 2004. The combination of national-level control measures and CITES regulations appear to have controlled the previously unsustainable utilization of snakes in China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The hog deer Axis porcinus formerly occurred in south-west China but has not been recorded there since 1965. To investigate the current status of the species in China, we conducted interviews, and transect and camera-trap surveys during October 2018–June 2020 to search for signs of hog deer across its historical range in the country. We interviewed 50 local inhabitants and surveyed 14 line transects in four counties of Lincang City, Yunnan Province. The camera traps were deployed in Nangunhe Nature Reserve (39.4 km of transects, 82 camera stations, 15,120 camera days) and Daxueshan Nature Reserve (41.1 km of transects, 68 camera stations, 13,554 camera days). We found no hog deer tracks and no hog deer were trapped by cameras. The floodplain grasslands preferred by hog deer along Nanting River have been transformed into agriculture plantations and human settlements. Our findings suggest that hog deer may have been extirpated from China, most likely as a result of habitat loss and overhunting. The conservation priorities for this species in China are the establishment of a protected area in the Nanting River watershed, restoration of habitat and reintroduction of individuals from range countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the concept of remanufacturing is gaining popularity in practice, its effect on environmental protection and energy saving is significant, which has attracted widespread concerns, especially in the automotive components field. Automotive components remanufacturing (ACR), as a prominent part in automotive life-cycle development, can dramatically reduce resources-waste and mitigate energy-crisis, which has become a prominent direction to promote sustainable development of Chinese economy. Thus, influence factors analysis and enterprise operation patterns assessment which primarily contribute to ACR industry development are of paramount importance. This paper elaborates the criteria influencing the ACR industry operation and analyzes the main operation patterns for ACR in China. To overcome the uncertainty of the evaluation process, a new hybrid multi-criterion decision-making (MCDM) model that combines fuzzy AHP (analytical hierarchy process) and fuzzy G-TOPSIS (combining gray relation analysis and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution) is proposed to determine weights of influence criteria and evaluate ACR production operation patterns. In addition, sensitivity analysis is applied to monitor the robustness of the method. The study refers to the experience of Chinese end-of-life vehicle (ELV) laws and implementation requirements of extended producer responsibility (EPR). The obtained results provide the new guideline to revise the regulations of Chinese ACR industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past 40 years witnessed a boom of protected areas (PAs) in China. To date, China has established 11 types of PAs, whose conservation objectives vary from protecting biodiversity and geological features, preserving scenic landscapes and seascapes, to restoring and maintaining ecosystem services. Covering over 17% of the land and 3.5% of the marine territory of China, the PAs have had beneficial effects on conservation in this country. However, the success of these PAs is largely restricted by ecological gaps in PA structure, defects of the management system, and is also negatively influenced by local development and urbanization driven by a growing economy. To improve the conservation efficiency of China's PAs, we suggest structural adjustment based on integrative research, practical strategies to alleviate administrative conflicts, increased engagement of local communities, transparent allocation of conservation funding, strengthened supervision and penalty mechanisms for destructive activities, and improved large-scale designation to coordinate demands of conservation and socioeconomic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]