Local governments have been asked to investigate illegal logging of forests in the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries after an international environmental protection organization released a report pointing to the activity, the State Forestry Administration said.

Greenpeace East Asia released an illegal logging report on Wednesday. Its two-year-long investigation discovered that nearly 1,300 hectares of natural forest in the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, have been illegally removed and replaced with profitable forest plantations, by taking advantage of loopholes in the Technical Regulation on Reconstruction of Low-Function Forest.

And the illegal logging has caused a direct threat to endangered plant and animal species, especially the wild giant panda, said Greenpeace.