Data from: Historical data for conservation: reconstructing range changes of Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) in eastern China (1970-2016)

The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) has long suffered from intense
exploitation driven by consumer demand for medicinal use and food.
Effective conservation management is hampered by insufficient data on
pangolin status and distribution. We integrated ecological niche modeling
with long-term ecological records at the local scale (e.g. from local
historical documents, grey and published literature and interviews) to
estimate the magnitude of potential distribution change of the Chinese
pangolin in eastern China (Fujian, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces) over
time. Our results suggest that the range of the species decreased by
52.20% between the 1970s and early 2000s, and that the population is now
mainly confined to the Wuyi Mountains. This reduction in potential
distribution range is attributable to anthropogenic pressures. According
to our conservation prioritization analysis, the priority conservation
area for the Chinese pangolin in eastern China is 51,268.4 km2, 5.62% of
which is covered by nature reserves. There are 18 nature reserves and 46
prefectures which are priority areas for conservation in China. The
priority-level nature reserves and prefectures in eastern China are mainly
located in the center of the Wuyi Mountains, and areas declared important
tend to be around the Wuyi Mountains. We propose several actions to
improve the conservation status of this species: establish or enlarge
nature reserves, ensure local governments at the prefecture level
prioritizes conservation management, and encourage local communities to
participate in pangolin conservation.