A multi-national team of biologists and ecologists just completed a six-week search of the Yangzi River looking for the Chinese River Dolphin (白鱀豚 Baijitun). After an exhaustive search, the team concluded that after 20 million years in the Yangzi, the Baiji are now extinct.
The dolphins were among the rarest of all mammals. Numbering about 400 in 1980, the population dwindled to only a handful of sightings in recent years. Scientists theorize that the baiji were victims of China’s rapid economic growth as pollution and development destroyed habitat and food sources while increased boat traffic disrupted the nearly blind animals’ ability to use sonar to navigate and find food and shelter.
The fate of the baiji reminds me of the recent book by Mark Elvin, The Retreat of the Elephants: An Environmental History of China. For millennia, elephants roamed as far north as Beijing and throughout the Chinese heartland and in fact could still be found in regions south of the Yangzi basin as recently as the 14th century. Elvin argues that the ‘retreat’ of the elephants, “from northeast to southwest, was the reversed image in space and time of that of the economic development and environmental transformation of premodern China.”
Elvin’s work on environmental history highlights an important point: perhaps no culture has changed the environment of a single place over as long a period as the Chinese. China’s patterns of migration and development transformed the landscape profoundly–from the sandstorms of Beijing to the terraces and artificial waterways of the southern provinces. It seems little wonder, given this legacy, that the CCP remained so resolute in building one of the most massive environmental projects the world has ever seen: The Three Gorges Dam.
As the fate of Elvin’s elephants demonstrated, megafauna are especially susceptible to changes in the environment from human (over)usage of resources and space. Local residents sometimes referred to the baiji as the 長江女神 or “The Goddess of Chang Jiang.” Now the Yangzi is a river in peril and the “Goddess of Chang Jiang” swims no more. Sad day.
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Quick update: The Mighty Ho in Shanghai sent me a message on MSN wondering if “bei bei” (one of the five mascots for the 2008 Olympics-the blue one) was in fact one of these dolphins. Accounts vary. I’ve seen Bei Bei referred to as a dolphin and I’ve also seen it referred to as a carp/fish. Anyone who can shed light for sure, please let me know.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Gracchi // Dec 13, 2006 at 7:15 pm
Very interesting post. The environmental changes that have occured since the ancient world are fascinating- the idea that Africa was the breadbasket of the Western empire for example is amazing to us today.
2 花崗齋之愚公 // Dec 14, 2006 at 9:22 am
That’s a very good point. I’m not as familiar with the case of Africa. Was it similar to China in that the agricultural decline of once fertile areas was the result of human activity or were there other factors involved as well?
3 the UGLY Chinese Canadian // Dec 14, 2006 at 10:09 am
That is so sad.
I recall reading about these amazing animals on an issue of “China Reconstructs” Magazine decades ago whilst I subscribed to it.
Although many would like to slow down and think about at the pace of China’s economic engine… there’s one thing I’ve learned in my old age. And that is: One will eventually learn from his mistakes… all the information and good advice from others means nothing, because only time can teach the lesson.
So I sincerely hope that the loss of this great mammal will serve as a reminder of the terrible price we are all paying for the so-called progress of humanity.
4 花崗齋之愚公 // Dec 14, 2006 at 6:51 pm
UCC,
Thanks for checking in. I agree, environmental treasures generally are not appreciated by either the public or the government until they are nearly destroyed. It would be nice if China learned from the mistakes of the world, sadly it seems this will not be the case.
5 PiPi // Dec 15, 2006 at 9:21 pm
“One will eventually learn from his mistakes”
True, but some ‘mistakes’ cannot be rectified
6 花崗齋之愚公 // Dec 16, 2006 at 11:01 am
PiPi,
Sadly that is true as the fate of megafauna the world over shows. North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, the oceans…conservation efforts are working in some areas, and failing miserably in others. Sad.
7 TMH // Dec 18, 2006 at 9:39 pm
The olympic mascot’s this dolphin. Were they related to Flipper? Was it the damn Dam that killed them?
8 http://www.usome.com // Aug 28, 2007 at 7:48 pm
That is so sad.
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