Smart Tech Is Helping to Protect China’s Giant Pandas智能科技正在帮助保护中国的大熊猫

The giant panda has long been the face of animal conservation， ever since World Wide Fund for Nature （WWF） adopted the lovely black-and-white bear as its logo in 1961. But， after decades of conservation programs， pandas are no longer endangered.

The biggest threat to the wild panda population is habitat loss. Its reliance on bamboo for sustenance has made the species particularly vulnerable to environmental changes. And while around 54% of its wild habitat is protected， these areas are still vulnerable to natural disasters， such as wildfires.

To protect panda habitat， the “Digital Panda System”， developed in a joint venture between the Sichuan Forest and Grassland Administration and  tech company Huawei， was deployed across forest and grasslands in Sichuan Province in February 2021. The instant reporting system helps to detect wildfires in hard-to-reach areas， alerting rangers and fire departments so they can intervene quickly， as well as monitoring wildlife.

“Digital technology will play a greater role in biodiversity conservation in the future，” says Zhao Jian， who oversaw the development of the Digital Panda System.

The system collects data from 596 cameras， 45 infrared cameras， drones and satellites， which it stores in the cloud. Conservationists and researchers use this data to monitor， track and study wildlife， as well as detect wildfire hot spots.

自1961年世界自然基金會（WWF）将可爱的黑白大熊猫作为其标志以来，大熊猫一直是动物保护的代言人。不过，经过几十年的保护工作，大熊猫不再濒临灭绝。

野生大熊猫种群面临的最大威胁是栖息地的丧失。大熊猫对竹子的依赖使该物种特别容易受到环境变化的影响。虽然大约54%的野生栖息地受到了保护，但这些地区仍然容易受到自然灾害的影响，比如野火。

为了保护大熊猫栖息地，四川省森林和草原管理局与华为技术公司共同投资开发的“数字熊猫系统”于2021年2月部署在四川省的森林和草原上。这款即时报告系统有助于探测难以到达地区的野火，并向护林员和消防部门发出警报，以便他们能迅速干预，并监测野生动物。

“在未来，数字技术将在生物多样性保护方面发挥更大的作用。”数字熊猫系统的开发负责人赵坚说道。

该系统通过596个摄像头、45个红外摄像头、无人机和卫星收集数据，并将其存储在云端。 自然环境保护主义者和研究人员利用这些数据来监测、跟踪和研究野生动物，以及探测野火多发地。

Because the cameras are used in remote areas where there is little or no power supply， the system is solar powered and uses microwave transmission， which doesnt require cables and is more reliable in complex terrain， says Zhao.

According to Huawei， the system assists 140，000 forest rangers， grassland managers， conservationists and researchers in Sichuan. In its first five months of operations， it detected over 600 wildfire hot spots， reducing forest fires by 71.6% compared to the same period the previous year.

Despite its name， the Digital Panda System offers protection to more than just pandas， says Zhao. The system covers the Sichuan section of the newly established Giant Panda National Park—an area of over 27，000 square kilometers that connects 67 reserves across three provinces. The park is home to Chinas 1，800 wild pandas—along with a further 8，000 animal and plant species， including endangered animals such as red pandas and the golden snub-nosed monkey.

Zhao says that in the future， the Digital Panda System could be extended across the sections of the national park that lie in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces， creating more “success stories” for other endangered species.

赵坚说，由于这些摄像头被用于电力供应很少或没有电力供应的偏远地区，因此该系统由太阳能供电，使用微波传输，不需要电缆，在复杂地形中更可靠。

据华为称，该系统为四川的14万名护林员、草原管理者、环境保护主义者和研究人员提供帮助。在其运营的头五个月，它发现了600多个火灾多发点，森林火灾较上年同期减少了71.6%。

赵坚说，尽管该系统的名字叫“数字熊猫系统”，但它不只是对熊猫提供保护。该系统覆盖了新建立的大熊猫国家公园的四川部分。大熊猫国家公园面积有27 000多平方千米，连接了三个省的67个保护区。 该公园是中国1 800只野生大熊猫以及8 000多种动植物的家园，包括濒危动物小熊猫和金丝猴等。

赵坚说，在未来，数字熊猫系统可以扩展到位于陕西和甘肃两省的大熊猫国家公园，为其他濒危物种创造更多的“成功故事”。

Word Bank

conservation /'k?ns?'ve???n/ n. （对环境的）保护

habitat /'h?b?t?t/ n. 栖息地

vulnerable /'v?ln?r?bl/ adj. 脆弱的;易受伤害的

Those most vulnerable to heat stress are the elderly.

deploy /d?'pl??/ v. 部署;调度

detect /d?'tekt/ v. 查明;探测

The tests are designed to detect the disease early.

terrain /t?'re?n/ n. 地形;地势