YNU research team publishes international pangolin statement

An international statement to help address the plight of the much-loved pangolin was recently drafted and published with the involvement of Yunnan University or YNU – located in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province.

Researcher Yu Li and assistant researcher Hu Jingyang from the National Key Laboratory of Biological Resource Conservation and Utilization in Yunnan – jointly established by YNU and provincial government departments – participated in the statement to support the protection work for pangolins.

The publication Science of the Total Environment, owned by Elsevier – the Netherlands-based international scientific, technical and medical specialist publishing firm – in February published a paper entitled A collective statement in support of saving pangolins.

A screenshot of the statement's introduction. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

The statement was led by Professor Choo Siew Who from Wenzhou-Kean University – a Chinese-US university jointly established in Wenzhou city in East China's Zhejiang province. He coordinated with  65 researchers – including YNU's Yu and Hu – from more than 60 academic institutions in more than 20 countries and regions to speak out about the need to protect the endangered animal.

The statement called on relevant departments around the world to help to increase the number of pangolin rescue centers, improve laws and policies for pangolin protection, increase funding for community education and conservation research, as well as step up law enforcement to crack down on the illegal trade of pangolins.

As an inseparable and important part of the ecosystem, pangolins are seen as being of great significance to biodiversity, maintaining a balance in the ecosystem and protecting species.

The team led by researcher Yu has long been engaged in research on the conservation and genetics of pangolins. The team has published its findings in various leading academic journals – including the National Science Review, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Journal of Genetics and Genomics, and Zoological Science. The results are said to have provided important information for the conservation and management of pangolins.