【 Panda Knowledge 】 The distribution and current situation of giant pandas

Giant pandas were widely distributed in the Yangtze River, Yellow River and the Pearl River basins of China, including Zhoukoudian near Beijing, Guangdong and Guangxi, and nearby Southeast Asia. But now we can only find them in the Qinling Mountains, Minshan Mountains, Qionglai Mountains, Liangshan Mountains, and Daxiangling Mountains.

According to the results of the fourth national wild population survey of giant pandas, there are only 1864 wild giant pandas, of which approximately 75% are distributed in Sichuan. The habitat spans 49 counties in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, with a habitat area of 2.58 million hectares. As of 2014, 67 giant panda nature reserves have been established in China, an increase of 27 compared to the third adjustment period. However, 46.2% of the habitats and 33.2% of the population are still outside the natural reserve system. The fragmentation of habitats and the danger of survival of small populations require a long and arduous journey to protect giant pandas. Giant pandas are highly endangered species, and without timely protection, there will be no wild giant pandas in the world in the near future.

As of 2020, there were a total of 633 captive pandas in captivity units worldwide, and 215 in captivity at the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding. Currently, there are only four units that can regularly maintain a breeding population of more than 10, including the Wolong China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding, the Shaanxi Provincial Rare Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Research Center, and the Beijing Zoo. In addition, there are also giant pandas living in more than 40 captive conservation institutions such as the Shirahama Wildlife Park in Wakayama, Japan, and the Atlanta Zoo in the United States.

Edit by Chuan-X Panda 2023-11-05 chuanxpanda.com