突破100只！《中国日报》整版聚焦惠东穿山甲保护

今天（4月28日）

《中国日报》第7版整版报道

中华穿山甲的保护

及惠东生态保护成果

并在官网和客户端同步发布

在广东惠州乌禽嶂保护林区内

中华穿山甲的种群数量正在缓慢恢复

数量从2020年的62只

增长至如今的100多只

李成（专家名）团队

利用人工智能摄像头进行监测

生态保护举措推动穿山甲数量增加

跟随《中国日报》记者

一同见证这场脆弱的种群复苏

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

中国日报客户端也有相关报道

一起来看！

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.

如果你还不知道

惠东有个中华穿山甲保护地

小编带你了解一下↓

惠东乌禽嶂中华穿山甲保护地

2018年底，惠东宝口一电站廖姓工作人员到乌禽嶂检查电网时，发现一树木根部有动物挖过的洞穴。随后，当地生态保护工作人员和惠东莲花山白盆珠省级自然保护区专业人员在洞穴附近设置了多处红外线相机。经过1个多月24小时全天候监控，首次在乌禽嶂拍摄到中华穿山甲活体影像。由此，惠东拉开了全力保护中华穿山甲的序幕。

自2022年开始，在省林业局公益林管理处的支持下，惠东县开展了乌禽嶂省级生态公益林示范区建设，项目除对乌禽嶂区域的巡护道路等基础设施进行修缮和提升以外，还开展了乌禽嶂穿山甲栖息地的公益林植被调查、多重效益森林修复样地与生物多样性快速评估，且针对穿山甲、中华鬣羚等主要保护对象建设了大型动物监测样点。

在乌禽嶂出没的中华穿山甲。（资料图片）

惠东县通过加大保护宣传、组建巡护队等措施，中华穿山甲栖息地质量不断向好，野外种群数量正在恢复。随着绿美广东生态建设大力推进，宝口乌禽嶂地区生态环境得到进一步改善，为珍稀濒危野生动植物提供良好的栖息环境。

乌禽嶂俯瞰图。（资料图片）

近年来，惠东县全面推进自然保护区与野生动植物保护管理工作，据粗略统计，有36种珍稀动物在惠东安家。

来源：CHINADAILY、惠州发布

编辑：郭宇聪（实习生）

一审：刘艳玲 二审：王德民 三审：余敏超