A feasibility study of reintroducing Chinese alligator to Yancheng Biosphere Reserve, Jiangsu Province, China

Liwei Teng

The Chinese alligator, Alligator sinensis, is on the verge of becoming extinct in the wild due to loss of natural wetlands in the lower Yangzi River region. In 1983, a captive-bred program was established to provide potential individuals for reintroduction. In 2003, three individuals were released in the Hongxing reservoir of Xuancheng, Anhui Province. We need to identify the new potential sites for reintroduction. Biological (water quality, soil condition, food resource, vegetation) and socio-economic (their influence on agriculture and local residents, attitudes toward a proposed reintroduction) requirements will be assessed in Yancheng Biosphere Reserve based on acquired studies.