《中华人民共和国野生动物保护法》规定, 《国家重点保护野生动物名录》由国务院野生动物保护主管部门每5年组织科学论证评估, 根据论证评估情况进行调整, 也可以根据野生动物保护的实际需要及时进行调整, 报国务院批准公布; 名录调整对我国野生动物保护不断适应各种新的变化和要求至关重要。为提高名录调整的效率和合理性, 有必要建立一套高效的遴选方法。本研究使用公开的中国脊椎动物名录(不含海洋鱼类)数据, 从国内外已广泛使用、由专门的组织或机构编制发布的专项名录中, 选用了6项8个指标并赋予权重来遴选国家重点保护野生动物调整名录, 并进行了案例研究。所得到的案例名录有一级保护动物204种、二级718种, 合计922种, 其中92.0%的物种与2021年颁布的《国家重点保护野生动物名录》的相对应部分相同, 两者一致性较高; 2021年名录中有8.0%的物种未进入案例名录, 案例名录中有7.6%为新增种, 并对部分物种的保护等级进行了调整。案例名录明显提升了中国生物多样性红色名录和世界自然保护联盟(IUCN)全球红色名录中受威胁种、中国特有种的保护比例(分别提升了6.5%、5.2%和5.6%), 契合遴选出更濒危、更有意义、更具代表性物种进行保护的原则。本方法所需数据全都取自公开的大数据, 将遴选方法由过去的专家评估转变为先进行定量评估, 再进行专家复审的方式, 提升了名录的客观性、准确性以及不同类群之间的协调。本方法简便易操作, 也可供其他生物类群借鉴。

Background: As per the regulations stipulate in the Wildlife Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, the competent department of the State Council responsible for wildlife protection is mandated to conduct regular scientific evaluations of the List of State Key Protected Wild Animals every five years. The scientific evaluation results, even timely results to the intense needs of specific wildlife protection, should submit to the State Council for promulgation and implementation. The process of updating the list serves as a vital component of China’s comprehensive approach to the wildlife conservation, and allowing for the adaptation to changing circumstances and emerging conservation requirements. It is necessary to establish a set of rational and efficient evaluation methods.
Aim: The objective of this study is to develop and implement efficient and accurate methods for the selection of species to be included or excluded in the list adjustment process.
Methods: By utilizing open data on terrestrial vertebrates list in China and consulting established lists compiled and published by specialized corresponding organizations or institutions (e.g., Global and National Red List, CITES, CMS), six key criteria and eight indicators were carefully selected and assigned weights to construct the adjusted List of State Key Protected Wild Animals. To illustrate the methodology, a case study was conducted to evaluate the suitability of certain species in the list.
Results: The resultant case list obtained through this methodology consists of a total of 922 species, with 204 species categorized as Class I and 718 species as Class II, as potential state key protected wild animals. It is noteworthy that a remarkable level of concordance was observed between the Case List and the latest 2021 List of State Key Protected Wild Animals in China, with 92.0% of the species listed in the former coinciding with those present in the latter, demonstrating a significant degree of consistency between the two lists. By eliminating 8.0% of the species from the 2021 List and incorporating 7.6% of additional species into the case list, noteworthy increases have been observed in the protection ratio of threatened species listed on China’s Red List and IUCN Global Red List, as well as the endemic species of China (6.5%, 5.2% and 5.6%, respectively). Furthermore, adjustments have also been proposed for the protection classification of certain species, particularly those with transboundary distribution, in the Case List. The results are consistent with the principles of identifying and prioritizing endangered, significant, and representative species for conservation purposes.
Perspective: The approach relies on gathering essential data from publicly accessible big data sources, initiates a shift from qualitative assessment to quantitative assessment as the initial stage. The obtained outcomes can form the basis for the expert panel’s qualitative assessment as the second step, thereby enhancing the objectivity and accuracy of the evaluation results and ensuring a balanced representation of diverse animal groups. Notably, the method is characterized by its user-friendly nature and efficient measurement process. Consequently, it can be readily utilized as a reference for other biological groups.