6/19/13

6/19/13, Chengdu

This morning we went to the Chengdu Panda reserve and saw Giant Pandas and Red Pandas. Unfortunately we did not get to take pictures with them. We learned about how the Panda population is very small and it is hard to get them to reproduce in captivity. We were able to talk with a WWF expert on Panda conservation. We learned that there are three stages of protection from the Chinese government:
1)Restrict human entrance to habitat
2)Build infrastructure for research
3)Active surveying of area and taking active measures

Panda protection has increased immensely as their habitat has been declining. Some current challenges include the following:
1)Half of all Panda habitat is not currently under protection
2)Panda habitats are currently fragmented into around 18 areas and some of those areas have as few as ten Panda
3)Road construction, mining, and other human activities interrupt and separate these habitats
4)Climate change continually affects these habitats
5)Economically unsustainable

Panda habitats are extremely important for other animals as well (especially birds) and investments in protection have been increasing. Many international NGO’s are involved in the protection.