It is estimated that there only 600 to 1,000 Giant Pandas still alive in the wilds of China and Tibet, their native habitat. It is now vital to protect not only this critically endangered species, but its environment.
The World Wildlife Foundation
The organisation responsible for the majority of conservation efforts to save this beloved Chinese icon is the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF).
Indeed, the Giant Panda is the symbol of their worldwide conservation projects aimed at a number of endangered and threatened species. Modelled after Chi-Chi, the only Giant Panda in captivity in the 1960s, the rare yet ‘cute’ mammal was easily the choice to represent endangered species and make people aware of the need to preserve them and their habitats.
The WWF has been involved in conservation of the Giant Panda since 1980. The first organisation to be invited by the Chinese government to work with its country’s departments to influence policy and aid national conservation efforts, the WWF has made great strides. Its main role is to collect information, demonstrate how a comprehensive policy can work to preserve the environment of the Giant Panda, and facilitate communication between the various organisations involved.
Research is key to the WWF’s conservation efforts. The Foundation has sent field researchers to study the Giant Panda and its behaviour in the wild. Currently, representatives of the WWF are located in Sichuan and Gansu provinces in the Minshan Mountains and in Shaanxi province among the Qinling Mountains.
Work is focused on adding area to the legally protected habitat of the Giant Panda, creating corridors that link isolated animals, increasing patrols to prevent poaching as well as human encroachment, aiding nature reserve management, and continual monitoring and research of the species.
Chinese Government
The Chinese government has recently instituted a National Conservation Program focusing on the Giant Panda and its natural habitat. There are now over 3.8 million acres of forest land set aside as a preserve for the mammal spanning more than 50 such preserves. This protects more than half of the Giant Panda’s home and is expected to help maintain over 60% of the existing population.
Another important development is that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has increased the priority status of Giant Panda protection.
The Chinese government is tasked with proper enforcement of trade in the animal itself as well as products derived from it. All commercial transactions regarding the panda are banned.
Between the WWF and Chinese government efforts, the future is looking much brighter for the Giant Panda and its survival in the wild.
Find out more about the WWF, the different types of pandas, and why Giant Pandas are endangered.