Species Spotlight
Scaling Up Protection for the Critically Endangered Chinese Pangolin top chinese pangolin | PRAFULRAO
The Critically Endangered Chinese Pangolin is one of the most heavily trafficked mammals on Earth .
All pangolins are covered in scales that , like human fingernails , are made of keratin . When threatened by a predator , they roll into a tight ball that can stymie even the hungriest big cat .
However , even these armored defenses are useless against poachers . Chinese Pangolin scales are believed by some to have medicinal properties and fetch a high value on the black market . Despite protection under national and international laws , the Chinese Pangolin population has declined by more than 80 % in the last 21 years .
Shy and mostly nocturnal , the Chinese Pangolin , like all other species of pangolin , plays an important role in the health of its forest home . It is estimated that one pangolin consumes upwards of 70 million ants and termites yearly , helping to stabilize insect populations in its environment .
The historic range of the Chinese Pangolin spanned from Eastern Nepal to the east coast of China . The species has been spotted in the subtropical lowlands of the Terai Jungle in southern Nepal . But there , too , it is threatened by poaching , severe habitat fragmentation and destruction .
Rainforest Trust and Nepalese partner KTK-BELT have been working together since 2017 to establish a wildlife corridor for threatened wildlife , including the Chinese Pangolin . Stretching from the Koshi Tappu floodplains to the Himalayan peak of Mt . Kanchenjunga , the corridor will ultimately protect 646,000 acres from destructive , haphazard development and road construction known locally as “ dozer terror .” KTK-BELT has been working collaboratively with local communities and Indigenous Peoples to develop relationships and build opportunities for education and livelihoods that pivot on land conservation . The final piece of the project is now under way and will designate 215,859 acres as an Indigenous Community Conservation Area with local support .
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