Protection of giant pandas benefits other rare and endangered animals in SW China's Sichuan

Thanks to a series of effective measures taken to protect giant pandas, the Sichuan section of the Giant Panda National Park has become an ideal habitat for not only giant pandas, but also other rare and endangered animals such as snow leopards, golden cats, and black bears, as well as wild plants.

The Sichuan section of the park employs more than 1,000 forest rangers to carry out protection activities all year round. Inside the park, mining activities have been banned; vegetation coverage has been restored, and illegal poaching has been severely cracked down on.

Infrared camera captures image of a snow leopard in the Wanglang National Nature Reserve in Pingwu county, Mianyang city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 19, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

In recent years, other rare and endangered animals apart from giant pandas have been spotted more than 1,600 times in the areas where giant pandas are active and commonly seen. Between June and August this year, five infrared cameras placed in the Wanglang National Nature Reserve in Pingwu county, Mianyang city, Sichuan Province captured images of snow leopards, blue sheep and sika deer, in areas located an elevation of around 4,200 meters.

The fourth national survey on giant pandas indicated that there are 1,864 wild giant pandas in China, among which 335 have been found in Pingwu county.

Infrared camera captures image of a blue sheep in Wanglang National Nature Reserve in Pingwu county, Mianyang city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 13, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

“Our protection of giant pandas has benefited other animals as well, including more than 4,100 species of plants and 1,900 species of animals. Thanks to the improving ecological environment of Pingwu, the population of the gnu, which is under first-class state protection, has expanded by 10 percent,” according to Jiang Shiwei, director of the forestry and grassland bureau of Pingwu.

In recent years, Sichuan has established a three-dimensional monitoring and protection system that involves the use of satellites, drones, and infrared cameras, as well as the participation of forest rangers. In May 2021, staff members discovered three wild giant pandas in less than three hours in the Wolong section of the Giant Panda National Park in Sichuan, breaking a record in terms of the number of giant pandas spotted in the shortest period of time.

Photo taken on Nov. 24, 2021, shows Minshan Mountain located in Pingwu county, Mianyang city, southwest China's Sichuan Povince, which provides a high-quality living space for wild animals and plants. [Photo/Xinhua]

A gnu is seen looking for food in the Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve on April 28, 2021. The gnu is under first-class state protection in China. There are about 1,300 gnus in the Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve. [Photo/Xinhua]