{"id":32760,"date":"2015-03-03T10:34:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-03T10:34:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-05-14T18:45:09","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T18:45:09","slug":"7760-panda-population-grows-17-says-china-government-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/7760-panda-population-grows-17-says-china-government-survey\/","title":{"rendered":"Panda population grows 17%, says China government survey"},"content":{"rendered":"

China’s claims that its population of wild giant pandas rose around 17% in just over a decade are being disputed by some experts, who point out that the latest census was over a much wider area than the previous one.<\/p>\n

The giant panda, a global emblem of wildlife conservation and symbol of China itself, are found in China’s central provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu.<\/p>\n

But some experts say that the latest survey – the fourth carried out by the Chinese government –  involved a search that covered 72% more territory than the previous count,<\/a> which was conducted in the late 1990s and early 2000s. <\/p>\n

Some experts have also raised questions as to what the scientific margin of error is in the Chinese government’s panda surveys. <\/p>\n

The latest official count found that the total area inhabited by wild giant pandas in China now equals 2,577,000 hectares, an expansion of almost 12% since 2003.<\/p>\n

However the areas giant pandas are found has become increasingly fragmented, and the population of the endangered animals increasingly dispersed.<\/p>\n

Environmental group WWF, which helped with the panda report, said much of the success in increasing the panda population comes as a result of conservation policies implemented by the Chinese government, including the ‘Natural Forest Protection Project’ <\/a>and ‘Grain for Green’<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The survey result demonstrates the effectiveness of nature reserves in boosting wild giant panda numbers,” said Xiaohai Liu, executive director of programmes at WWF-China.<\/p>\n

The report found that 1,246 wild giant pandas live within nature reserves, accounting for almost 67% of the total wild population and the number of panda nature reserves in China had increased to 67 from 27 in the previous report.<\/p>\n

The fragmentation of habitats, which conservationists define as the separation of wildlife population by physical barriers such as roads, railways, dams and mines, is increasingly noticeable with about 12% of pandas facing higher risks to their survival, the survey found. <\/p>\n

Traditional threats to pandas such as poaching appear to be declining, but large-scale disturbances including mining, hydro-power, tourism and infrastructure construction are becoming more severe and were referenced in the government panda survey for the first time. <\/p>\n

Phosphate mining in China<\/a> is seen a particularly urgent threat to pandas and their habitats. <\/p>\n

Sceptics have often raised doubts about the accuracy of China’s panda surveys, claiming that they are strongly influenced by the political priorities of government officials and conservation groups.<\/p>\n

“It’s a fine balancing act, so officials can claim the credit for rising panda populations but the number is not too high to diminish conservation funds,” Nature magazine quoted a Beijing-based researcher with links to China’s foresty ministry as saying.<\/p>\n

Conservation experts also point that panda’s reclusive nature and mountainous habitat make it impossible to do a direct count, meaning that the survey uses two indirect counting methods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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