Yunnan steps up control over non-indigenous species

Southwest China's Yunnan Province, a treasure trove of plants and animals on the border, has stepped up efforts to prevent and control introduced species.

The provincial department of ecology and environment has published the latest catalog of introduced species in Yunnan this month.

The province, bordering Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos, has become a severely afflicted area, it said, with 441 species of non-indigenous plants and animals.

Of the 441 species, 115 are posing hazards to the local economy and environment, according to Gao Zhengwen, deputy director of the department.

By May 20 this year, spodoptera frugiperda, or fall armyworm, have been found in 119 counties in Yunnan, compounding the prospects of corn and rice harvest.

The armyworm was spotted in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan in January.

"The armyworm could reduce the harvest of corn by 10 to 25 percent. Sometimes total crop failure is likely to happen if conditions worsen," said Zhang Mu, deputy head of the department of agriculture and rural affairs in Yunnan.

Technological staff compiled manuals on fighting the armyworm and handed out to farmers.

Local authorities send out alert and train over 10,000 people with the knowledge to fight the worm.