今天(4月28日)
《中國日報》第7版整版報道
中華穿山甲的保護
及惠東生態(tài)保護成果
并在官網和客戶端同步發(fā)布
在廣東惠州烏禽嶂保護林區(qū)內
中華穿山甲的種群數量正在緩慢恢復
數量從2020年的62只
增長至如今的100多只
李成(專家名)團隊
利用人工智能攝像頭進行監(jiān)測
生態(tài)保護舉措推動穿山甲數量增加
跟隨《中國日報》記者
一同見證這場脆弱的種群復蘇
Living in peace with pangolins
Population of protected species on the rise after years of conservation efforts
By Yan Dongjie and Li Wending in Huizhou, Guangdong | China Daily
Updated: 08:54 am (GMT+8) April 28, 2025

YAN DONGJIE/MUKESH MOHANAN/TIAN CHI/CHINA DAILY/LIU YIJUN FOR CHINA DAILY
In the lush forests of Huidong county, Guangdong province, a quiet revolution is unfolding.
Once teetering on the brink of extinction, Chinese pangolins — scaly, ant-eating mammals — are slowly increasing in number here, thanks to a decadelong grassroots conservation effort that blends science, community engagement and ecological restoration.
The Huidong Wuqinzhang pangolin reserve, a 120-square-kilometer sanctuary bordering the Pearl River Delta, has become a lifeline for the species. Li Cheng, project director of the Xizi River Conservation Center, said that infrared camera monitoring shows pangolin activity has expanded from deep in the wilds to closer to villages, with even roadside burrows spotted.
"Their estimated population here now exceeds 100 — a fragile but critical recovery," said Li, who recently witnessed a mother pangolin and her pangopup at a burrow entrance, their tails entwined. "These 'forest architects' are reclaiming their role in the ecosystem."
Decades of poaching and habitat loss had reduced China's wild pangolin numbers to below those of giant pandas. But since 2018, coordinated anti-poaching patrols and village education campaigns have slashed illegal hunting.
Xu Zhuduo, a reformed former hunter turned ranger, patrols daily to document pangolin burrows. "I used to trap them. Now, villagers call us when they spot pangolins," he said, recalling his awe at discovering a burrow with newborn pups last spring.
The conservation model here emphasizes coexistence. Zuokeng village in the reserve has transitioned to eco-tourism and pesticide-free rice farming, with pangolins becoming an unlikely mascot for sustainable development.
Education has been the driving force behind the cultural shift. Sixth-grader Xu Yiqin confidently explained: "Pangolins are national first-class protected animals. They eat termites, saving forests." Her classmate Xu Zhifeng added, "Saving water protects their homes."
Critical infrastructure adaptations have also aided the efforts. An experimental wildlife corridor bridges a hydropower canal that once fragmented habitats. Infrared footage confirms pangolins, leopard cats and boars now traverse the structure. "It's about balancing development and conservation," Li said.
As dusk falls over the reserve, the rustle of pangolins digging echoes through valleys — a testament to a community rewriting its relationship with nature.
Wang Demin contributed to this story.
此外,4月27日
中國日報客戶端也有相關報道
一起來看!
Chinese pangolins:
fragile rebound amidst mounting challenges
By Yan Dongjie in Huizhou, Guangdong | chinadaily.com.cn
Updated: 2025-04-27 16:33
In the protected forests of Huizhou's Wuqinzhang mountains, Chinese pangolins are staging a fragile recovery — from 62 individuals in 2020 to over 100 today. Yet this growth, while significant, masks the immense biological challenges facing the planet's most trafficked mammal.
The math surrounding the survival of these armored creatures is brutal — females are capable of giving birth to a single pangopup annually after reaching sexual maturity at three years old, with only one-third of offspring surviving to adulthood, according to Li Cheng, a Chinese pangolin expert.
"Even with perfect protection, their population can't boom like rabbits," said Li, a former tech engineer leading the Xizi River Conservation Center. "Each new pangopup documented feels miraculous."
Li leads a team that has installed an intelligent monitoring network using over 100 AI-enhanced infrared cameras. Remarkably, he has also enlisted more than 20 former poachers, including Xu Zhuduo, to become the primary rangers.
These former "pangolin hunters" now walk an average of 12 kilometers daily to record burrow data. In Zuokeng village, Huidong, there are many reformed pangolin guardians like them. Pangolin sightings in the village have increased from three in 2018 to 47 last year. Eco-friendly rice cultivation has reduced the use of chemicals on farmland by 78 percent, and other species such as snakes and owls are making a comeback.
At Zuokeng Primary School, pangolin conservation has become a mandatory course. "Pangolins are like forest doctors. Without them eating termites, the big trees would get sick," said sixth-grader Xu Yiqin, describing a drawing she made for her classroom.
"Each generation takes years to replace itself," Li noted, watching a mother pangolin nudge her pangopup toward a termite mound. "Every new burrow near proves we're buying them time."
Follow China Daily reporters into the mountains of Huidong, Guangdong province, to encounter the Chinese pangolin.
Guo Xianliang, Wang Demin, Wang Xianyun, Lin Wenya, Lai Rihong and Long Yongjing contributed to this story.
如果你還不知道
惠東有個中華穿山甲保護地
小編帶你了解一下↓
惠東烏禽嶂中華穿山甲保護地
2018年底,惠東寶口一電站廖姓工作人員到烏禽嶂檢查電網時,發(fā)現(xiàn)一樹木根部有動物挖過的洞穴。隨后,當地生態(tài)保護工作人員和惠東蓮花山白盆珠省級自然保護區(qū)專業(yè)人員在洞穴附近設置了多處紅外線相機。經過1個多月24小時全天候監(jiān)控,首次在烏禽嶂拍攝到中華穿山甲活體影像。由此,惠東拉開了全力保護中華穿山甲的序幕。
自2022年開始,在省林業(yè)局公益林管理處的支持下,惠東縣開展了烏禽嶂省級生態(tài)公益林示范區(qū)建設,項目除對烏禽嶂區(qū)域的巡護道路等基礎設施進行修繕和提升以外,還開展了烏禽嶂穿山甲棲息地的公益林植被調查、多重效益森林修復樣地與生物多樣性快速評估,且針對穿山甲、中華鬣羚等主要保護對象建設了大型動物監(jiān)測樣點。

在烏禽嶂出沒的中華穿山甲。(資料圖片)
惠東縣通過加大保護宣傳、組建巡護隊等措施,中華穿山甲棲息地質量不斷向好,野外種群數量正在恢復。隨著綠美廣東生態(tài)建設大力推進,寶口烏禽嶂地區(qū)生態(tài)環(huán)境得到進一步改善,為珍稀瀕危野生動植物提供良好的棲息環(huán)境。

烏禽嶂俯瞰圖。(資料圖片)
近年來,惠東縣全面推進自然保護區(qū)與野生動植物保護管理工作,據粗略統(tǒng)計,有36種珍稀動物在惠東安家。
來源:CHINADAILY、惠州發(fā)布
編輯:郭宇聰(實習生)
一審:劉艷玲 二審:王德民 三審:余敏超


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