Inspectors find porpoise protection efforts were undermined in Anhui
Efforts to save the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise in Anhui province have been undermined by unapproved changes to protected habitats, a high-level environmental inspection found.
A safe zone for the mammal - known in China as the water panda because of its rarity - was first set up in Anqing, Anhui, in 2007. It covered 806 square kilometers, including the entire 243 km of the main stream of the Yangtze River that runs through the city.
Yet between November 2015 and June 2017 - and without approval from provincial authorities - Anqing authorities adjusted the zone's size and downgraded the protection level in some areas to allow activities that threaten the porpoise, according to a statement from the inspection team.
