Asian elephants eat in rice fields in Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County of Pu’er, Southwest China’s Yunnan Province on July 19, 2023. Photo: Xinhua
Asian elephants have been well conserved in China with the wild population in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province rising to more than 300, and their range of distribution continuing to expand, the protection and management measures further improving, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Tuesday, which marks World Elephant Day.
Asian elephants in China are mainly found in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, and Pu’er and Lincang cities in Yunnan. So far, a total of 11 nature reserves have been established in the main distribution areas of Asian elephants in China, with a total area of more than 7.5 million mu (about 500,000 hectares), providing a safe and stable habitat for the species, China Green Times, a newspaper under China’s National Greening Commission, reported.
According to the latest statistics from the Yunnan provincial forestry and grassland administration, the wild Asian elephant population in Yunnan has grown to more than 300 today from 180 in the 1980s, with the number continuing to expand. Their distribution remains stable in three prefectures or cities and seven counties or districts.
As their range has expanded, the Yunnan Asian elephant population has shown three notable changes: increased numbers, wider distribution, and shifts in habits, CCTV reported.
To improve monitoring and provide early warnings, and to prevent conflicts between human and elephants, the Yunnan Asian elephant monitoring and early warning center uses drones, infrared cameras, and other tools to create heatmaps of elephants activity, enabling more scientific protection.
With a supporting management platform, it takes just over 10 seconds to detect and identify an elephant and issue a warning message. Data show that since the platform’s launch, no human-elephant conflicts have occurred within its coverage area, CCTV reported.
Global Times