6th Asian Herpetology Conference held in Chengdu

(ECNS) -- The 6th Asian Herpetological Conference (AHC) and the Editorial Board Meeting of Asian Herpetological Research (AHR) were held from Aug. 22 to 25 in Chengdu, southern China. 

The events attracted more than 120 experts and scholars from China, Russia, France, Canada, Italy, Japan and other countries to discuss amphibian and reptile diversity, evolution and conservation.

The conference featured 25 academic presentations on topics ranging from species diversity and climate change to endangered species protection, while promoting scientific cooperation and data sharing among Asian countries.

Experts noted that amphibians and reptiles are key indicators of environmental change but face growing threats from habitat loss, climate change and disease.

Participants also called for greater use of technologies such as genomics and artificial intelligence to strengthen biodiversity conservation.

Delegates visited the specimen collection at the Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, which houses about 123,000 specimens.

(By Helen Mo & intern Liu Shuangjing)