Quake has minor impact on pandas' environment  

中科院研究稱蘆山地震對大熊貓棲息地影響較小

記者22日從中國科學院遙感與數字地球研究所(中科院遙感地球所)獲悉，該所經過緊急預評估，初步推測“4·20”蘆山地震對四川雅安市大熊貓生態環境影響較小。

Beijing (CNS) -- The 7.0-magnitude quake that jolted Southwest China will have minor ecological impact on giant pandas' living environment, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said on Monday.

The Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth under CAS assessed the environmental impact of the earthquake, which hit Ya'an city of Sichuan province at 8:02 a.m. Saturday.

The remote sensing images of the heavily hit Baoxing county showed that overall landslides caused by the quake is not severe.

The institute said only 126 square kilometers of pandas' living areas have been gravely affected, 875 severely affected and 3,693 square kilometers moderately affected.

The institute started monitoring and evaluating the disaster Saturday.

Ya'an city, which is called "home to giant pandas," provides a 4,700-square-kilometer natural habitat for them, accounting for 30 percent of the city's total area.

Special report:

7.0-magnitude earthquake jolts Ya'an, Sichuan