Giant Panda Conservation Status in China

Construction of nature reserves

In 1963, Chinese government established nature reserves for panda. From 1992 to 2002, China perfected the construction and management of 13 existing nature reserves; set up 14 new nature reserves and 17 panda protection corridors. During four decades, China has been strengthening the construction of nature reserves. At the end of 2010, there were 58 nature reserve for giant panda, protecting more than 53% of the panda habitat area and more than 70% of the wild panda population.

Carrying out panda rescue project

On the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, due to the large area of bamboo flowering, pandas were suffering a serious situation to survive. The governments of Sichuan, Shan-xi and Gansu provinces set up panda rescue organization, establishing more than 60 professional protective tissues, such as patrol, panda rescue teams, monitoring stations and asylums, over thousand professional staffs worked for panda rescue project. Meanwhile, under the strong support of community and international organizations, there was an upsurge of "panda rescue”. According to incomplete statistics, from 1983 to the end of 2010, 297 pandas have been rescued in China; it means the project of panda rescue is a success.

Ex-situ conservation

Ex-situ conservation is a assist way to panda rescue. Firstly, base on wild giant panda, enlarging the captive population; secondly, after the captive population reaches the required number, timely to carry out “captive individuals survive in the wild” program, to create the positive interaction between ex-situ conservation and nature reserves. Protect nature reserve is primary task, and the success of ex-situ conservation will give a strong promotion to nature reserves.