Wolong National Natural Reserve

[chengdupanda]

The Wolong Nature Reserve sprawls over some 200,000 hectares and contains about 10% of the wild panda population across the world. Local people also live in the reserve. Researchers wanted to know just how well protected the pandas habitat actually was. To do this, the scientists used remote sensing data and maps to determine what kinds of and how much habitats were located within the reserve. By comparing data collected prior to 1975 to data obtained after 1975 they were able to specifically quantify exactly how much habitat was highly suitable, suitable, marginally suitable, and unsuitable to pandas.

By comparing panda habitat before and after the reserve was created, they could see whether panda habitat in the reserve really was well protected. What they found was startling. Even within this so-called flagship--protected area, all types of panda habitats declined significantly. Prior to protection, the reserve contained about 14,000 hectares of highly suitable habitat. By 1997, that number had dropped to below 12,000 hectares. What’s more, the area of unsuitable panda habitat increased from around 118,000 hectares to more than 133,000 hectares. How is this possible? If one area is protected, then how can the quality of habitat be degraded? The researchers attribute the deterioration to a population increase of human inhabitants who live in the reserve. They wrote, “Local people in the reserve were the direct driving force behind the destruction of the forest and of panda habitat.”

http://www.jiuzhaigou-tour.com