Eats, shoots and stays
The Fourth National Giant Panda Survey is organised by the State Forestry Administration of China and is conducted every ten years. The survey measures the size of the panda population, its distribution and the status of its habitat. The report found that 1246 wild giant pandas live within nature reserves which accounts for 53.8% of the total wild population.
Wild giant pandas are found only in China's Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. According to the report the geographic range of pandas in China also increased. The total area inhabited by wild giant pandas now equals 2,577,000 hectares, an expansion of 11.8% since 2003.
John Barker, Head of India and China regions, at WWF-UK said:
“Today’s announcement by the Government of China that wild giant panda numbers have increased by over 16% is a demonstration of the successful conservation actions taken by the government and the people of China. Much of this success is due to the implementation of policy changes including banning commercial logging in panda habitats and more effective management of forest protected areas. Securing the future of the giant panda, however, remains unfinished business with issues such as large scale infrastructure development including roads and railways and mass tourism needing to be advanced with environmentally and ecologically compatible planning.”
Xiaohai Liu, Executive Director of Programmes at WWF-China, said:
“These results are a testament to the conservation achievements of the Chinese government. A lot of good work is being done for wild giant panda conservation and the government has done well to integrate these efforts and partner with conservation organizations, including WWF. The increase of both the wild giant panda population size and habitat area over last ten years is a significant conservation achievement which WWF is pleased to see. The survey results demonstrate the effectiveness of nature reserves in boosting wild giant panda numbers.”
Much of the success in increasing the panda population comes as a result of conservation policies implemented by the Chinese government, including the National Forest Protection Project and Grain for Green.
Although the survey recorded an increase in population and habitat area, wild giant panda conservation still faces severe challenges. China has 67 panda nature reserves - an increase of 27 since the last report. However over 46% of panda habitats and approximately 33% of the population live outside of protected nature reserves. Habitat fragmentation – the separation of wildlife population by physical barriers – is increasingly noticeable with about 12% of the population facing higher risks to their survival. Traditional threats to pandas such as poaching appear to be declining but large-scale disturbances including mining, hydro-power, tourism and infrastructure construction are becoming more severe and were referenced in the government panda survey for the first time.
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