The panda bear is an animal species known worldwide. Its conservation problems, the breeding of individuals in captivity and illegal trafficking are made with great media coverage. The Chinese Government, in recent years, has carried out actions to stop the decline of this species and it seems that they are obtaining positive results
The first question we will answer in this article on our site is why are pandas in danger of extinction and if this degree of conservation is still maintained. Likewise, we will comment on what is being done so that the panda bear does not become extinct. In summary, we will try to provide all the information about the endangered panda bear.
Giant Panda Bear Conservation Status
The current population of the giant panda bear has been estimated at about 1,864 individuals, not counting individuals less than a year and a half old age. Although, if we take into account only the adult individuals that are capable of reproducing, the population would fall below 1,000 individuals. On the other hand, the panda population is fragmented into subpopulations These subpopulations are isolated along various mountains in China, the degree of connectivity between them is unknown and the exact number of individuals comprising each of the subpopulations.
According to a 2015 survey by the State Forestry Administration, population decline has stopped and appears to be beginning to increase. The reason for this population stabilization is the slight increase in available habitat, the increase in forest protection and reforestation actions.
Already in 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) [1] changed the status of the panda giant, so it went from being "in danger of extinction" to "vulnerable", due precisely to the stability of its population. However, the Chinese Government rejected this modification and continued to consider the species as in danger of extinction, so they continued working on its conservation plans. The country's exhausting work has finally borne fruit and, therefore, in 2021 the panda bear is officially no longer considered endangered.
Although the population seems to be increasing, with accelerating climate change, bamboo forests could be severely affected and, with them, the survival of the panda. For this reason, the Chinese Government does not stop striving to conserve this species and its habitat. There is no doubt 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 guarantee the survival of this emblematic species.
Why was the panda bear in danger of extinction? - Causes
Back in the day, the giant panda bear was distributed throughout China, even inhabiting certain regions of Vietnam and Burma. Currently, the species has been relegated to certain mountainous regions of Wanglang, Huanglong, Baima and Wujiao.
Like other endangered animals, there is no single reason for the decline of the panda bear. Thus, the panda bear threats are as follows:
Human actions, habitat fragmentation and loss
The construction of roads, dams, mines and other infrastructures created by human beings are one of the main threats suffered by the different panda bear populations. All of these projects increase habitat fragmentation, driving some populations further and further apart from each other.
On the other hand, unsustainable increased tourism in certain areas could negatively affect pandas. The presence of livestock and domestic animals, in addition to damaging the habitats themselves, can also bring diseases and pathogens that could affect the he alth of pandas, favoring again they are in danger of extinction.
Loss of genetic diversity
Continued habitat loss, including deforestation, has had an impact on giant panda populations. Such a fragmented habitat has caused the separation of large populations, resulting in isolated populations with a reduced number of individuals.
Genomic studies have shown that panda genomic variability is wide, but if exchanges between populations due to lack of connectivity continue to decline, the genetic diversity of small populations may be compromised, increasing vulnerability to extinction.
Climate change
The pandas' main source of food is bamboo, eating around 40 kg per day. This plant has a characteristic synchronous flowering that causes the death of the entire bamboo forest every 15 to 100 years. In the old days, when a bamboo forest died naturally, pandas could easily migrate to a new forest. These migrations cannot currently take place because there is no connectivity between the different forests, and some panda populations are at risk of starvation when their bamboo forest flourishes. In this other article we talk to you in depth about the feeding of the panda bear.
Bamboo, in addition, is also being affected by the increased greenhouse effect.
Some scientific studies assume losses in the bamboo population of 37% to 100% by the end ofthis century, although others are more encouraging and reveal that the tolerance of bamboo could be greater than expected. Without a doubt, more research is needed to prevent the panda from running out of its main food.
Solutions to prevent the extinction of the panda bear
Although we know that the panda bear is no longer in danger of extinction, we are still working on its conservation to ensure that the population continues to increase. The giant panda bear has been one of the species for which most actions have been carried out to improve its conservation status. Next, we will list some of these actions:
- In 1981, China joined the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), causing the trade in this animal or any part of its body was illegal.
- The publication of the Nature Protection Law in 1988 made poaching of this species illegal.
- In 1992, the National Conservation Project for the Giant Panda launched a conservation plan, establishing the panda reserve system. It currently has 67 reserves.
- Starting in 1992, the Chinese Government allocated part of the budget to create infrastructure and train reserve personnel. It established surveillance to combat poaching, controlled human activities within the reserves, and even relocated human settlements outside the reserve zone.
- In 1997, the Natural Forest Conservation Program to mitigate the effects of floods on the human population had a positive impact on the pandas, as massive felling of trees in panda habitat has been banned.
- That same year the Gran a Verde Program was born, in which the farmers themselves reforested highly eroded hillside areas within the regions inhabited by the panda.
- Another strategy has been to breed pandas in captivity for subsequent reintroduction, in order to increase the genetic diversity of the species in the more isolated subpopulations.
