China News Service, Baku, Azerbaijan, November 13 (Reporter Chen Tianhao and Lin Mengnan) "In the face of climate change, in the face of animals whose habitats have been destroyed, in the face of endangered species, we need to start taking action today!" A 15-year-old from China

China News Service, Baku, Azerbaijan, November 13 (Reporter Chen Tianhao and Lin Mengnan) "In the face of climate change, in the face of animals whose habitats have been destroyed, in the face of endangered species, we need to start taking action today!" 15 from China Gao Shiqing, a 20-year-old high school student and environmental defender of the China Environmental Protection Federation, made this appeal at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

From November 11 to 22, local time, the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Gao Shiqing was on the sidelines of the "China Solutions to Promote Public Climate Action" held on the 12th. This powerful appeal was made at a conference event.

According to Gao Shiqing, the original habitat of the North China leopard (commonly known as the golden leopard) is in Beijing. As a top predator, it plays an important role in maintaining ecological balance. However, due to over-exploitation by humans, its habitat has been continuously encroached and its population has declined sharply. As early as 2005, the North China leopard had almost disappeared in the Beijing area, and Beijing had lost this star wild animal.

The Cat Alliance “Bringing Leopard Home” project was born. Gao Shiqing explained that this project does not directly introduce the leopard population to Beijing, but hopes to allow the leopard population to spread and return naturally through the construction of ecological corridors. This will not only allow the North China leopards to return to their original habitat, but will also improve the ecological environment in the Taihang Mountains and Yanshan areas, rebuild the ecological balance, and provide a connected living space for the animals.

Talking about his experience when he joined the Cat Alliance project in 2016, Gao Shiqing recalled that he was mainly involved in investigating the food chain status of the North China leopard in the mountains north of Beijing. The first step of the project was to "find the leopard". They used infrared camera technology to set up a mountain monitoring grid and collect animal activity data. In 2016, the team discovered a stable population of about 40 leopards in Shanxi, 400 kilometers away from Beijing. This discovery gave them hope. In 2020, traces of North China leopards were also recorded in Hebei Tuoliang Nature Reserve, which is only 300 kilometers away from Beijing, indicating that the leopard population is slowly spreading towards Beijing.

In addition, he also explained in detail the results of the "investigation of the return journey" work. At observation points in Beijing's Huairou District and Yanqing District, data show that the local biomass has increased significantly. Not only have animals such as red foxes reappeared, but key species in the food chain such as roe deer, gorals, and wild boars have also gradually recovered. The food chain situation has reached the point where the North China leopard has returned. Be prepared.

Although six years have passed and the North China leopard has not yet returned to Beijing, Gao Shiqing emphasized that the improvement of the ecological environment has brought long-term value. He also advocates the establishment of ecological corridors, which by connecting fragmented habitats will not only help endangered species restore their populations, but also play a positive role in combating climate change. Through vegetation restoration, ecological corridors can also improve carbon sink capabilities, help absorb greenhouse gases, and further mitigate climate warming.(End)