In a precautionary response to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, China's Ministries permanently banned eating and trading in terrestrial wild (non-livestock) animals on 24 February 2020, and extensively updated the list of Fauna under Special State Protection (LFSSP) in 2020 and 2021, in which pangolins (Manidae spp.) were upgraded to the highest protection level. Examining 509 pangolin prosecution records from China Judgements online prior to these changes (01/01/14-31/12/19), we identified that Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan Provinces were hotspots for trade in whole pangolins and their scales. Interrupting trade in these three principal southern provinces would substantially fragment the pangolin trade network and reduce supply of imports from other south-east Asian countries. In the context of the revised legislation and strategies intended to prevent wildlife trade, we conclude that targeting interventions at key trade nodes could significantly reduce illegal trade in pangolins, and that this approach could also be effective with other taxa.
作为当前新型冠状病毒（COVID-19）疫情的预防性应对措施，第十三届全国人民代表大会常务委员会第十六次会议于2020年2月24日通过了关于全面禁止非法野生动物交易、革除滥食野生动物陋习、切实保障人民群众生命健康安全的决定。在2020至2021年，中国持续更新国家重点保护野生动物名录（LFSSP），并将穿山甲科所有种（Manidae spp.）提升至国家I级重点保护野生动物。基于上述野生动物保护法律变革前（2014年1月1日至19年12月31日）在中国裁判文书网发布的509份穿山甲贸易相关裁判文书，我们发现广东、广西和云南是穿山甲个体及其甲片贸易的热点地区；在这三个南方省份阻止穿山甲贸易将能有效地瓦解其贸易网络，并减少从东南亚国家的进口供给。在中国完善野生动物保护立法和策略的背景下，我们认为针对关键贸易节点的干预措施将能显著抑制穿山甲非法贸易，而聚焦关键贸易节点的思路也适用于其它动物类群的保护。.
Keywords: Biodiversity; COVID-19; Conservation; Epidemic; Pangolin; Wildlife trade.