Understanding the giant panda

After China ceased its practice of giving panda pairs as state gifts, it began a short-term loan program. This evolved into long-term scientific loans. The whole time the concept of panda diplomacy persisted even as it shifted and transformed. Concerns about the giant panda as a species and the environment more generally were undercurrents to all discussions and exchanges. The environment remained present when China made a dramatic and controversial giant panda gift offer to the island of Taiwan. This chapter examines the various ways that panda diplomacy evolved and the increasing integration of environmental issues with panda politics.

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Integrating Ecosystem Services and Human Demand for a New Ecosystem Management Approach: A Case Study from the Giant Panda World Heritage Site

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12010295 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 295 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Bin Fu ◽

Pei Xu ◽

Yukuan Wang ◽

Yingman Guo

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Ecosystem Management ◽

Giant Panda ◽

Supply And Demand ◽

World Heritage ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Management Approach ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Heritage Site ◽

Trade Offs

Ecological management based on the ecosystem approach promotes ecological protection and the sustainable use of natural resources. We developed a quantitative approach to identify the ecological function zones at the country-scale, through integrating supply and demand of ecosystem services. We selected the biologically diverse hotspot of Baoxing County, which forms a part of the Sichuan Giant Panda World Heritage Site, to explore the integration of ecosystem services supply and demand for ecosystem management. Specifically, we assessed the various support, provision, regulating, and cultural services as classified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. We applied the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs) model to spatially map habitat quality, water retention, and carbon sinks, and used statistical data to evaluate food products, animal husbandry, and product supply services. We then quantified the demands for these services in terms of population, protected species, hydropower, water, and land use. The relationship between areas of supply and areas of demand was discussed for each township, and the spatial variability in the supply–demand relationship was also considered. As a result, we spatially divided the county into six ecological functional areas, and the linkages between each region were comprehensively discussed. This study thus provides a detailed methodology for the successful implementation of an ecosystem management framework on a county-scale based on the spatial partitioning of supply and demand.

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Diversity and Composition of Gut Bacterial Community in Giant Panda with Anorexia

Current Microbiology ◽

10.1007/s00284-021-02424-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Siyue Zhao ◽

Caiwu Li ◽

Tao Zhu ◽

Lei Jin ◽

Wenwen Deng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Community ◽

Giant Panda

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Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Ecological Policy Compromises Human Well-Being and Giant Panda Habitat Conservation in Giant Panda National Park

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13095013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 5013

Author(s):

Dan Zhu ◽

Degang Yang

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Socioeconomic Factors ◽

National Park ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Giant Panda ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Well Being ◽

Habitat Conservation ◽

Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity ◽

Panda Habitat

Identifying how policy, socioeconomic factors, and environmental factors influence changes in human well-being (HWB) and conservation efficiency is important for ecological management and sustainable development, especially in the Giant Panda National Park (GPNP). In this study, we systematically analyzed the differences in the conservation status of the giant panda habitat and changes in HWB over 15 years in the GPNP, which includes six mountain sites, Minshan (MS), Qionglai (QLS), Xiaoxiangling (XXL), Liangshan (LS), Qinling (QL), and Daxiangling (DXL). Redundancy analyses were used to determine the factors contributing (policy, socioeconomic factors, and environmental factors) to HWB and giant panda habitat conservation (HC). In addition, using a structural equation model (SEM), we investigated the relationship between the aforementioned three factors and their direct and indirect effects on HWB and HC. The results indicated that there was spatiotemporal heterogeneity of HWB and HC in our study area. There was an increasing number of plant species as well as an increased number of giant panda in GPNP. Generally, HWB in 2015 showed an increasing trend compared with that in 2000. Socioeconomic factors (23.6%) have the biggest influence on HWB and HC, followed by policy (23.2%) and environmental factors (19.4%). Conservation policy had a significantly positive influence on HWB (0.52), while it negatively influenced HC (−0.15). Socioeconomic factors significantly negatively influenced HWB (−0.38). The formulation and implementation of policies to promote economic development will contribute to the protection of giant pandas and their habitat. Our results provide insight on the conservation status of the giant panda habitat, HWB, and factors influencing them in different mountain sites in the GPNP, as well as having implications for the future management of the GPNP.

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