In November 2021, The National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China released a draft List of Terrestrial Wildlife of Significant Ecological, Scientific or Social Value and made it open for public consultation (forestry.gov.cn/main/4461/20211210/101145329663518.html). Together with the complete ban on terrestrial wildlife consumption by the National People's Congress of China (February 2020) and revision of the List of Wildlife under Special State Protection (February 2021), the draft List of Terrestrial Wildlife demonstrates ongoing wildlife management reforms in China precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, 191 aquatic species were not included in the draft List of Terrestrial Wildlife. Although the revision increased the number of protected species, it reassigned many amphibians and reptiles, including alligators, sea snakes, freshwater turtles, salamanders and frogs, to the aquatic category. There is no list of aquatic wildlife equivalent to the List of Terrestrial Wildlife of Significant Ecological, Scientific or Social Value, and the newly excluded aquatic species will therefore not receive the same protection as terrestrial species.

The ban of the National People's Congress prohibits the harvesting, trading and consumption of all terrestrial wildlife, including those with no protected status and even those bred in captivity, but aquatic species are not subject to this ban. This arises from the separate management of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife by the Forestry and Fishery Departments, respectively, an issue that has created a loophole that hinders the protection of threatened aquatic species and allows unsustainable consumption and farming.

Before the pandemic, both the Forestry and Fishery Departments encouraged wildlife farming. The ban on terrestrial wildlife farming prompted the Forestry Department to focus on protection, whereas the Fishery Department continued to promote utilization, even permitting the farming and consumption of 81% of the freshwater turtle species and 20% of the inland fish species ostensibly under Special State Protection.

This loophole even extends to protected areas. In 2018, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, under its previous name the National Park Administration, took over responsibility for all nature reserves, including those for aquatic species and wetland ecosystems, but the management of aquatic wildlife remained with the Fishery Department.

Because of these matters, aquatic wildlife is not receiving adequate protection. We recommend that this loophole should be closed by uniting all wildlife management in China under a single authority.

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (project number 32170532).