RSSNewsletterSiteMapFeedback

Home · Weather · Forum · Learning Chinese · Jobs · Shopping
Search This Site
China | International | Business | Government | Environment | Olympics/Sports | Travel/Living in China | Culture/Entertainment | Books & Magazines | Health
Home / Environment / News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Flowering bamboo danger to panda population
Adjust font size:

Giant pandas in the wild may face food shortages as more bamboo plants, their staple food, approach the end of their lifespan, Chinese naturalists warned.

Yang Xuyu, deputy head of the Wild Animal Preservation Station of the Sichuan provincial forestry bureau in west China, issued the warning on Sunday during the annual meeting of the China Giant Panda Breeding Technical Committee. The meeting was held in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.

Yang said that the station has observed 24,000 hectares of bamboo flowering in Sichuan, where 1,206 pandas live in 40 nature reserves with a total area of 1.77 million hectares, accounting for 77 percent of the total panda habitat in China.

During the blooming process, the bamboo plant grows flowers, releases its seeds, dries out, and dies.

Bamboo blossoms have been spotted in 14 counties in Sichuan since 2005. Nine varieties of bamboo have been observed flowering, which accounts for 30 percent of bamboo eaten by the pandas, said Yang.

"No wild panda has been found dead of starvation. But as the area of bamboo flowering spreads, we should keep close watch on the severity of the pandas' food shortages," said Yang.

The mountainous region witnessed extensive blossoming of arrow bamboo, the pandas' favorite variety, in 1984 and 1987, causing hundreds of the endangered animals to die of starvation.

Yang said that in the past, pandas adapted to the natural recurrence of dead bamboo, which happens about every 60 years. However, in modern times, their migration paths among segmented bamboo forests have been blocked by human activities. Thus, the bamboo flowering has become a major threat to wild pandas.

He said the forestry bureau has carried out a panda rescue drive, which involves sending preservation staff to local panda habitats to provide guidance and supervision. The bureau has also formed a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The two organizations are drafting a plan to restore many of the pandas' migration paths.

Over 80 officials and panda experts from eight countries attended the meeting, which has been held annually since 1989, to share their research on ways to preserve the panda population.

In total, pandas feed on approximately 20 different species of bamboo. A research center for endangered animals in China's western Shaanxi Province carried out tests aimed at helping pandas diversify their taste in bamboo. Researchers collected 90 bamboo species that are known to be edible and fed those types to six captive pandas. The center said that the test results would be useful for aiding populations on panda reserves.

(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2007)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read

Comment
Username   Password   Anonymous
 
China Archives
Related >>
- Giant pandas up for adoption
- Giant panda births down in 2007
- Japan-born panda twins to return to China
- 21 Giant Pandas Survive Artificial Breeding
Most Viewed >>
-Severe winter weather may persist for another week
-Battle goes on against snowstorms
-Salt tide afflicts Shanghai
-La Nina, atmospheric circulation blamed for snow disaster
-New snow set to cause further havoc on roads
Air Quality 
Cities Major Pollutant Air Quality Level
Beijing sulfur dioxide II
Shanghai particulate matter I
Guangzhou sulfur dioxide I
Chongqing particulate matter II
Xi'an particulate matter II
Most Read
-Severe winter weather may persist for another week
-Battle goes on against snowstorms
-Salt tide afflicts Shanghai
-La Nina, atmospheric circulation blamed for snow disaster
-New snow set to cause further havoc on roads
NGO Events Calendar Tips
- Hand in hand to protect endangered animals and plants
- Changchun, Mini-marathon Aimed at Protecting Siberian Tiger
- Water Walk by Nature University
- Green Earth Documentary Salon
- Prof. Maria E. Fernandez to Give a Lecture on Climate Change
More
Archives
UN meets on climate change
The UN Climate Change Conference brought together representatives of over 180 countries and observers from various organizations.
Panda Facts
A record 28 panda cubs born via artificial insemination have survived in 2006.
South China Karst
Rich and unique karst landforms located in south China display exceptional natural beauty.
Saving the Tibetan Antelopes
The rare animals survive in the harsh natural environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
More
Laws & Regulations
- Forestry Law of the People's Republic of China
- Meteorology Law of the People's Republic of China
- Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China
- Law on Protecting Against and Mitigating Earthquake Disasters
- Law of the People's Republic of China on Conserving Energy
More
Links:
State Environmental Protection Administration
Ministry of Water Resources
Ministry of Land and Resources
China Environmental Industry Network
Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base
SiteMap | About Us | RSS | Newsletter | Feedback

Copyright © China.org.cn. All Rights Reserved E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-88828000 京ICP证 040089号