Supported by Peking University and other scientific institutions, a "duo-flagship species" mode was turned on in Wolong National Nature Reserve, southwest China's Sichuan Province in 2017. Here, the giant panda and the snow leopard are equally protected.
A flagship species is a species selected to act as an icon or symbol for a defined habitat or environmental cause. It usually has a special appeal to the public in nature conservation.
Two giant panda cubs rest in tree branches at the Shenshuping base of China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas in Wolong National Nature Reserve, southwest China's Sichuan Province, September 12, 2020. /CFP
The giant panda was considered as the flagship species in the reserve after the reserve was established in 1963. They are usually active in forests at an elevation between 2,500 to 3,300 meters. As the flagship species, other creatures sharing the same habitat are also under protection, such as the golden snub-nosed monkey, the yellow-throated marten, the red panda and the dove-tree.
In the same nature reserve, another endangered species - snow leopards - can be found among alpine meadows and bare rocks at elevations between 3,300 and 4,400 meters.
A wild snow leopard is seen among bare rocks in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, February 27, 2023. /CFP
After launching the mode of double flagship species, other endangered animals, plants as well as rare natural resources are preserved in the area where the snow leopard is protected, such as the Tibetan snowcock, the blue sheep and the snow lotus.
By setting up different representative flagship species at different elevations, the scientists try to optimize the management of the protected area and further enhance the conservation effectiveness of the overall biodiversity in the reserve.
Six years after the "duo-flagship species" mode was created, the species population within the nature reserve has been greatly restored.
"Monitoring data shows that in Wolong nature reserve, the key state protected wild animals and plants reached 121 species, of which 28 species are first-class protected animals in China, and 69 plants species are under the state protection," said He Tingmei, a staff member at the Wolong National Nature Reserve Administration.
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(Cover image via CFP)
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