People perception on use patterns and conservation of Chinese Pangolin in and around Yangoupokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary, Manipur, India

In order to highlight important conservation issues for the species, the current study was set out to assess people's perceptions and knowledge regarding the use patterns of Chinese pangolins among the communities residing in and around the Yangoupokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary (YLWS), Manipur, India. The YLWS was established in the year 1989 and is located within the jurisdiction of the Tengnoupal district of Manipur, covering an area of 184.80 sq. km. The sanctuary is a part of the Indo-Malayan biodiversity hotspot and lies on the border between Burma (Myanmar) and Manipur. A pre-structured questionnaire survey was conducted between October 2019 and December 2023 to collect information about the use pattern of Chinese pangolin by consulting 71 local people, particularly traditional hunters belonging to three communities, e.g., Naga Maring, Meitei, and Kuki, from nine selected villages. The results revealed that the species is basically used for bushmeat, medicine to treat diseases (piles, sore throat, asthma, smallpox, allergy), and social beliefs (to keep termites and ants away from wooden houses, gun proof jackets, sighting pangolins as unlucky). In addition, two novel findings that had not been reported previously—the treatment of sinuses and the excessive control of saliva in nursing babies by using the scales—is recorded in the present study. Using scales to keep ants and termites away from the house was another use of species that all the communities had in common in the study area. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there was a rising trend in the cost of pangolin body parts like scales. The results of this study indicate that the main threats to the conservation of the Chinese pangolin species in Manipur, especially in YLWS, are mainly due to the traditional uses of the animal and the trade of its scales for medicinal purposes. As the selected species is critically endangered worldwide hence requires immediate conservation and management strategies.