Chinese technology company Huawei is providing an artificial intelligence (AI) system to support the protection of white-capped langurs in the Chongzuo National Nature Reserve, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The white-headed langur is an endemic species found only in Chongzuo, Guangxi, and is a critically endangered animal and even rarer than the giant panda because currently there are 1,300-1,400 individuals and 90 percent are in the 256 square kilometer Chongzuo Guangxi White-headed Langur National Nature Reserve.
"White-headed langur conservation is a close collaboration between the government, which provides formal legal protection, academics, who provide empirical data, and technology provided by the private sector. Digital technology allows for more precise observations of langurs in conservation areas, thus enabling better protection," said Nong Dengpan, Director of the Guangxi Chongzuo White-headed Langur National Nature Reserve, in Chongzuo.
The white-headed langur is a "distant relative" of the Javan langur which migrated north during the ice age to the karst region of Guangxi using caves in steep cliffs as sleeping and shelter, earning it the nickname "stone mountain fairy".
