Local response: Tourism bloggers hold photos of endangered plants in Mount Laoshan and mock experts for stealing | Qingdao | plants

Recently, a citizen of Qingdao posted on their WeChat Moments claiming that tourists in the Laoshan Scenic Area were secretly picking Qingdao lilies, a second level protected plant in China. A science popularization expert also posted on Weibo, saying that they saw a local tourism blogger not only publicly displaying suspected stolen Qingdao lilies, but also sarcastically criticizing researchers who rated rare plants.

On the morning of the 20th, Upstream News reporters learned from the Natural Resources Bureau of Laoshan District and relevant departments of Laoshan Scenic Area in Qingdao that they will also strengthen inspections and governance against such illegal mining activities.

Handheld photos of national second level protected plants posted online

On the afternoon of the 19th, when the upstream journalist contacted Amun, a popular science writer and popular plant science major, who posted his microblog, he still felt very angry. "I saw it on a official account. He took a large number of national second-class protected plants, Qingdao Lily, and brought his own water bottle to arrange flowers. He said that he picked it up, and also said that Qingdao Lily was a protected plant evaluated by keyboard man. It was very arrogant and unconvinced. It was really ignorant and arrogant."

In the official account article mentioned by "Amun", the upstream journalist saw that the travel blogger was indeed holding a water bottle with a large number of Qingdao lilies in his photo. He also stressed that "flowers are not destroyed by myself because they are used to picking up things discarded by others. I have never advocated picking things in the mountains at will." Later, he wrote: "Laoshan lilies are boasted by some online articles to be an endangered species, which is purely a keyman's behavior in an air-conditioned room."

"Amon, on the other hand, stated that the blogger understands how precious Qingdao lilies are, and wearing a water bottle filled with flowers, seems to have come prepared." He even labeled all the experts participating in the review as' keyboard warriors' and smeared us who protect, promote, and popularize rare plants, which is quite infuriating. "

It is reported that Qingdao Lily is a unique species of plants in the Liliaceae family in China, originating from the Shandong Peninsula. It was discovered by German botanists in Xiaoqing in 1897 and named Qingdao Lily. Later, it was discovered that there is a large distribution of lilies, also known as Laoshan lilies, under the forests on the shady or semi shady slopes south of Jiushui in the north of Laoshan.

With the impact of environmental changes and other factors, the number of Qingdao lilies has sharply decreased, and the earliest discovered small Qingdao lilies have disappeared. According to incomplete statistics, there were less than 3000 Qingdao lilies in the entire Shandong Peninsula in 2019.

Liu Bing, an associate researcher at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has conducted multiple inspections on the situation of Qingdao lilies. He told Upstream News that on September 7, 2021, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released the second batch of the "National Key Protected Wild Plant List", and Qingdao lilies were listed as national second level key protected plants.

Liu Bing introduced that although Qingdao lilies have been included in the National Key Protected Wild Plant List for a long time, they were only recommended for draft before, and after more than ten years of discussion by multiple experts, they officially entered the second batch of protected plants in 2021. This document has legal effect.

Liu Bing said, "Holding a handful of national second level protected plants and then shaking them up and placing them online, theoretically it can be reported to the police for investigation."

Relevant departments: will strengthen inspections and governance efforts

Upstream news reporters also contacted the travel blogger who posted the article, but as of the time of publication, they had not received a response. However, the reporter noticed that some netizens had already reminded Qingdao Lily in their comments that it is a national second level protected plant. The blogger subsequently deleted the sarcastic remarks of the expert.

The travel blogger posted a satirical article about experts/ network

Liu Bing stated that the flowering period of Qingdao lilies is mainly in late June, and it is basically gone by July. On June 18th, the Qingdao Daily's Seaview News also reported on recent news of citizens refusing to listen to advice and stealing wild Qingdao lilies, and called on everyone to work together to maintain ecological resource security, protect the biodiversity of Laoshan, and jointly protect Qingdao lilies.

"Amon also told Xu Liqiang, the president of the Chengyang District Wildlife and Plant Protection Association in Qingdao, to Upstream News reporters that according to Article 23 of the" Regulations on the Protection of Wild Plants of the People's Republic of China "," those who have not obtained a collection certificate or have not collected national key protected wild plants in accordance with the provisions of the collection certificate shall have their collected wild plants and illegal gains confiscated by the wildlife administrative department, and may be fined up to 10 times the illegal gains. Those who have a collection certificate may also have their collection certificate revoked. "

According to Article 344 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, those who illegally harvest or destroy precious trees or other plants under state protection, or illegally purchase, transport, process, or sell precious trees or other plants and their products under state protection in violation of state regulations, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance, and shall also be fined; If the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years and shall also be fined.

"The recent illegal mining incident occurred in Laoshan District, and I also asked the poster to report it to the local law enforcement department. As it was just reported, the result of the handling has not yet been released," Xu Liqiang said.

Upstream news reporters also contacted the Forest Management and Conservation Department of the Laoshan District Natural Resources Bureau, and a staff member stated that the inspection efforts will be further strengthened in response to the behavior of tourists and hikers stealing Qingdao lilies.

The relevant departments of Laoshan Scenic Area have also stated that they have recently noticed relevant situations, mainly occurring in non tourist areas of the scenic area. In addition to stealing Qingdao lilies, there are also other behaviors that damage the ecological environment. Special measures are currently being taken, and efforts will be intensified on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition to guarding some key entrances, non tourist areas will also be inspected.