Quake has minor impact on pandas' environment  

中科院研究称芦山地震对大熊猫栖息地影响较小

记者22日从中国科学院遥感与数字地球研究所(中科院遥感地球所)获悉，该所经过紧急预评估，初步推测“4·20”芦山地震对四川雅安市大熊猫生态环境影响较小。

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