BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- China has detected new pangolin burrows and captured video footage of pangolin activities in several provincial-level regions including Guangdong, Jiangxi and Hunan over the last three years.

Preliminary research has found that Chinese pangolins have breeding populations of a particular scale in multiple provincial-level regions, and that their habitat quality and connectivity are relatively good, said Hua Yan, an official from a pangolin protection research center under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

In the Wuqinzhang forest district in Huizhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, 308 fresh pangolin burrows have been detected and 33 pangolins have been identified on infrared-triggered cameras in recent years. The species' population density in this area exceeds one pangolin per square kilometer, Hua said.

Pangolins are an important species that influence the structure, function and health of forest ecosystems. Due to excessive hunting and habitat loss, wild stocks of pangolins once plummeted sharply.

China has upgraded its protection of pangolins to the highest level and intensified a crackdown on actions including illegal hunting and trading to better protect the species. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)