Giant pandas face big problems:Today, only over1,800 giant pandas survive on Earth. Until 2016, they were categorizedas Endangeredon the International Union for Conservation of Nature RedList of Threatened Species. They are currently listed as Vulnerable,thanks to numerous conservation efforts that have helped to increase their population. However they, still face many seriousthreats:
Habitat destruction:Unfortunately for pandas, China’s forests have changed. The country has more than a billion people. Just as in the US, withmore people have come moreroads, homes, cities, and farms. They mine, harvest trees, and use othernatural resources. The giant panda’s range shrunk as trees were removed in logging operations and land was cleared for farming. In fact, panda-suitable habitat decreased by half between 1974 and 1985.
Populations of pandas have become small and isolated, hemmed in by cultivation. Some panda habitat has literally been encircled by farms, villages, and business sites—creating “islands” between which pandas can’t safely move without coming upon human communities or crossing dangerous highways. In some pockets, very few pandas are found. They are isolated and cut off from other sources of bamboo—and from other pandas.
In some areas, forest clear-cutting has completely removed all large trees—and all appropriate tree and rock den sites. Without a protective den, panda cubs are more susceptible to cold, disease, and predators.
Low reproductive rate:Pandas like to be by themselves most of the year, and they have a very short breeding season, when a male looks for a female to mate with. Females give birth to one or two cubs, which are very dependent on their mother during the first few years of life. Mother pandas care for only one of the young. In panda facilities in China, wildlife care specialists help to hand raise any twin cubs; one baby is left with the mother and the wildlife care specialists switch the twins every few days so each one gets care and milk directly from the mother.
Bamboo shortages:When bamboo plants reach maturity, they flower and produce seeds before the mature plant dies. The seeds grow slowly into plants large enough for pandas to eat. Giant pandas can eat 25 different types of bamboo, but they usually eat only the 4 or 5 kinds that grow in theirhome range. The unusual thing about bamboo is that all of the plants of one type growing in an area bloom and die at the same time. When those plants die, pandas must move to another area. This is why good panda habitat should have several different varietiesof bamboo.
Hunting:When hunters set snares for other wildlife, like musk deer, the traps can kill pandas instead.
Protecting pandas:Panda protection efforts in China began back in 1957, and in 1989, the Chinese Ministry of Forestry and the World Wildlife Fund formulated a management plan for the giant panda and its habitat. It called for reducing human activities in panda habitat, managing bamboo habitat, extending the panda reserve system, and maintaining populations of pandas in human care.
China's Natural Forest Conservation Program of 1998 provides protection to all remaining forests throughout the panda’s range, which covers about 5.7 million acres (2.3 million hectares).
China has set up 65 panda reserves that protect panda habitats from further development. Some are off limits to people completely, while others are shared-use areas like our national forests. Natural corridors connect some reserves to help keep panda populations together.
Today, China is currentlygainingforestland. The government has started policies like the “Grain-to-Green” program, which gives grain and cash to farmers who abandon farming on steep slopes and replant these areas for natural forests and grasslands. But we’re still not sure if these newly forested areas are suitable for pandas.
It takes an international effort:Back in the 1990s, biologists didn't know if they could save pandas from extinction. Little was known of their behavior, and pandas did not reproduce well in zoos. Then, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance partnered with Chinese colleagues at panda preserves to create a conservation strategy. We developed early-detection pregnancy tests, as well as a milk formula for panda cubs that raised survival rates from zero to 100 percent. Wealso began usingGPS technology to track pandas and learn how far they range. In 2010, we reached the milestone number of 300 pandas in zoos worldwide and breeding centers in China, which scientistsbelieve will ensure a self-sustaining population. We are definitely boosting panda survival rates!
There is still much that we don't know about pandas. Our conservation scientistshave learned a lot about basic panda care techniques, veterinary care, and nutrition; panda reproduction; the importance of environmentalenrichment; and the significance of chemical communication, or how pandas’ respond to the odors of other pandas. By gathering more than 20 years' worth of data at the San Diego Zoo, where the pandas wereeasy to observe, we gained a betterunderstanding of what they needed to thrive in their natural habitat.
Working together with Chinese panda experts may help increase the number of giant pandas and ensure the future survival of the giant panda population. A giant panda milk formula created by the Zoo's nutritionist, and a hand-rearing technique developed by the Chinese called "twin swapping," have transformed the survival rate of nursery-reared panda cubs in China from 0 to 95 percent. The giant panda breeding rate at the Wolong Breeding Center in China increased dramatically following multiyear collaborations with the San Diego Zoo. Work by our scientists has advanced pregnancy diagnosis, and thepopulation of pandas in human care has reached the milestone of 300 bears, the minimum necessary to sustaingenetic diversity for the next 100 years.
In 2012, we were honored to receive the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' International Conservation Award along with the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Memphis Zoo, and Zoo Atlanta for our "Scientific Approaches to Conservation of Giant Pandas and Their Habitat."
What YOU can do to help pandas:People ask us every day how they can help save pandas. You can make a big impact by making some simple changes in your daily lifestyle, like knowing where the products you purchase come from, choosing accordingly, and buying fewer things or items with minimal packaging. You can help by choosing wood products that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization that promotes the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC-certifiedforest products are from responsibly harvested and verified sources. Look for the FSC certification on bamboo products, too.
By supporting San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, you are our ally in saving and protecting wildlife worldwide.
