The improvement of the living environment of wild giant pandas in China still needs more protection.
Reference message networkReported on September 11th.British media said that good news about animal protection is always welcome. If it is related to the most charming giant panda, so much the better. September 5, International Union for Conservation of Nature — — An environmental organization serving as a link between the government and non-governmental organizations — — It is announced that the giant panda has changed from an "endangered" species (which means that this animal is likely to face extinction in the wild) to a "vulnerable" species (that is, the species is at risk of extinction). Lu Sicheng, Director-General of WWF China, said: "Everyone should raise a glass to celebrate."
The British "Economist" magazine published an article on September 10, saying thatIn the past 30 years, China has made great efforts to promote the breeding of giant pandas. However, most efforts have been made on captive giant pandas, and the decision of environmentalists is related to the living conditions of wild giant pandas. According to a government survey, in the 2013 panda population statistics, the number of wild pandas has increased from 1114 in 1988 to 1864. This is five times the number of giant pandas in captivity.
According to the article, the increase in the number of wild giant pandas reflects the living environment of giant pandas — — Dense bamboo forests in southwest China — — It’s improved. After a period of deforestation, China now has 67 giant panda reserves, covering about half of the panda’s range. Two thirds of the wild giant pandas live in these protected areas. Undoubtedly, the earning power of giant pandas (foreign zoos pay $1 million a year to rent a pair of giant pandas) makes the opportunity cost of setting up these animal reserves smaller. However, the government has played an important role in the protection of giant pandas for decades.
As a result, China now has two kinds of giant pandas — — Wild giant pandas, and captive giant pandas that appear more frequently in front of the camera — — And the number of both is increasing. Although the number is smaller, captive giant pandas are more fertile. From 2003 to 2013, the number of wild giant pandas increased by 268, an increase of about 17%. The number of giant pandas in captivity has more than doubled, from 164 to 375. Giant pandas have always been known for their poor reproductive ability. However, at least a large part of the difficulties faced by captive giant pandas in reproduction were due to human ignorance. With people’s better understanding of the physiological characteristics and behaviors of giant pandas, their fertility rate has also increased.
The article said that unfortunately, this did not help wild pandas. The goal of the captive breeding program for giant pandas is to release them into the wild. Giant pandas born in captivity have to undergo two years of training to learn how to find food and be alert to human beings. However, after years of efforts, only five captive giant pandas were released into the wild. Two of them are dead. Two giant pandas will be released into the wild this winter.
Against this background, it was expected that the government of China might rejoice in the decision of IUCN. But it exercised restraint. The State Forestry Administration, which is responsible for supervising the habitat of giant pandas, even made almost critical comments. The Forestry Bureau pointed out that the wild population of giant pandas was divided into 33 local populations, including 18 local populations with less than 10 individuals and "high extinction risk". In addition, affected by habitat fragmentation, these giant panda populations are isolated, which hinders the gene exchange of local giant panda populations and makes them more susceptible to illness. Experts say that in the next 80 years, affected by climate change, one-third of the bamboo forests on which giant pandas depend may disappear.
According to the article, many animals are going extinct all over the world (sometimes because people who believe in Chinese medicine have a demand for a certain part of the animal’s body). The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently put another iconic species — — Eastern gorillas — — List of "endangered" species. So it’s nice to see the giant panda change from an "endangered" species to a "vulnerable" species. However, as a symbol of wildlife protection, giant pandas should be further away from the brink of extinction. (Compile/Yang Xuelei)
