In the first ever Nepal-China joint forestry working group meeting held Thursday in Kathmandu, the Chinese delegates led by Minister of State Forestry Administration of China, Jia Zhibang, assured the Nepali delegates that they would secure political consent for entering the SEWAN as an observer. [break]
This is the first time that China has expressed its commitment at the political level to enter the SEWAN as an observer. As a central committee member of Communist Party of China (CPC), Forest Minister Zhibang is expected to persuade the Chinese leaders into taking an official decision to this effect.
Previously, China had expressed its commitment only at bureaucratic level to help curb wildlife poaching and trade across the region by participating in the SAWEN.
"The Chinese delegates´ commitment to participate in the SEWAN as an observer is very crucial to curbing wildlife trade," says Diwakar Chapagain, Wildlife Trade Control Coordinator at WWF Nepal.
"China is believed to be the biggest consumer of parts of endangered species, including Tiger. This means that we can not effectively control wildlife trade so long as there are demands for wildlife parts in China. Therefore, China´s entry into the SAWEN will be a significant step toward curbing wildlife poaching and trade," explains Chapagain.
However, Joint Secretary Ram Prasad Lamsal, the focal person for the Nepali delegates, says that it would be unwise to assume that China´s entry into the SAWEN would drastically curb wildlife trade in the region overnight.
"The practice of using wildlife parts as traditional medicines is not something that can be done away with by promulgating certain acts," argues Lamsal, who is also the spokesperson for the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (MoFSC).
"The use of wildlife parts for medical purpose is a deep-rooted practice. It is like the existence of untouchability even after several laws outlawed it years ago in Nepal. Similarly, even if China bans the use of wildlife parts after entering into the SAWEN, it will take years for the Chinese people to stop using them," says Lamsal.
"China´s entry into the SAWEN will be marked as a milestone, though,"
The SAWEN was formally announced at an intergovernmental meeting organized by the Bhutan government in January last year. The SAWEN -- which has its secretariat in Nepal -- has yet not functioned effectively partly due to the delay in coaxing China into joining the regional anti-poaching network.
At the first day of the Nepal-China forestry meeting, Nepal also proposed to build Musk Deer Farming Centre, Biodiversity Education Centre and Zoological Garden in Shivapuri in collaboration with China. Nepal also proposed to develop a green economy corridor through the Tatopani border.
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