The panda is a world-famous animal species. Its conservation problems, the creation of captive individuals and illegal trafficking are carried out with extensive media coverage. The Chinese government has taken steps in recent years to stem the decline of this species and appears to be achieving positive results.
The first question we will answer in this Animal Expert article is why the panda is endangered and whether this level of conservation persists. We will also discuss what is being done to prevent the extinction of the panda.
- The current population of the giant panda was estimated at 1.
- 864 individuals.
- Not counting those less than a year and a half.
- However.
- If only adult individuals capable of reproducing are taken into account.
- The population would be reduced to less than 1000 individuals.
On the other hand, the panda population is fragmented into subpopulations. These subpopulations are isolated from several mountains in China, and the degree of connectivity between them and the exact number of individuals that make up each of the subpopulations are unknown.
According to a survey conducted by the National Forestry Administration in 2015, the population decline has stopped and appears to be starting to increase. The reason for this population stabilization is the small increase in available habitat, increased forest protection, in addition to reforestation actions.
Although the population appears to be increasing, as climate change accelerates, about half of the bamboo forests will be lost in the coming years and, as a result, the panda population will decline again. The Chinese government is constantly fighting to conserve this species and its habitat. It seems that the conservation status of the species has improved in recent years, but it is necessary to continue working to maintain and increase support and thus ensure the survival of this emblematic species.
Some time ago, the giant panda was distributed throughout China, even inhabiting parts of Vietnam and Burma. It is currently limited to some mountainous regions of Wanglang, Huanglong, Baima and Wujiao. Like other endangered animals, there is no single reason for the panda’s decline. This species is threatened by:
The construction of roads, dams, mines and other man-made infrastructure is one of the main threats to different panda populations. All these projects are increasing habitat fragmentation, increasingly moving populations away from each other.
On the other hand, the increase in unsustainable tourism in some regions can have negative effects on pandas. The presence of domestic animals and livestock, in addition to damaging the habitat itself, can also cause diseases and pathogens that can affect the health of pandas.
Continued habitat loss, including deforestation, has affected giant panda populations. This fragmented habitat has led to the separation of large populations, resulting in isolated populations with a small number of individuals.
Genomic studies have shown that the genomic variability of the panda is broad, but if exchanges between populations continue to decline due to lack of connectivity, the genetic variability of small populations may be compromised, increasing their vulnerability to extinction.
The main food source for pandas is bamboo. This plant has a characteristic synchronous flowering that causes the death of the entire bamboo block every 15 or 100 years. In the past, when a bamboo forest died naturally, pandas could easily migrate to a new forest. These migrations cannot be done now, as there is no connectivity between the different forests and some panda populations are at risk of starvation when their bamboo forest blooms. In addition, bamboo is also affected by increased greenhouse effect, some scientific studies predict losses of the bamboo population between 37% and 100% by the end of this century.
See more: Feeding the panda bear
The giant panda is one of the species for which it has been most made to improve its conservation status. Here are some of these actions:
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Endangered Animals section.