Effect of China’s rapid development on its iconic giant panda

Abstract

Anthropogenic factors affect biodiversity and have led to the contraction or extinction of animal populations worldwide. Here, we use historical demographic data, spanning the past 300 years, to show that a rapid distributional contraction of giant pandas took place during the 18th and 19th centuries alongside the increase in human population. Land-use also underwent a significant change across the areas where giant pandas were found because of government agricultural policy and the introduction of new crops. The impact of social development on giant pandas includes habitat loss and fragmentation, and range reductions. Our findings would facilitate the design of effective conservation strategies that seek to conserve and increase current habitats of this iconic species, especially in areas that our analysis has identified as places where pandas have suffered from high human pressure.giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), distributional contraction, human populatoin explosion, land-use increases and habitat loss, conservation implication Citation:

Holocene range collapse of giant muntjacs and pseudo‐endemism in the Annamite large mammal fauna

“…Persistence of final populations of giant muntjac in the Annamite Mountain chain up to c . 1000 m above sea level (Timmins et al ., ) is also consistent with increased extinction vulnerability of many taxa at lower elevations due to greater human population growth and habitat conversion in these more accessible regions, and survival of remnant populations of many threatened species at higher elevations (Li et al ., ; Fisher, ; Zhu et al ., ; Turvey et al ., ). Although giant muntjacs have been reported into the first millennium bc in the middle Yangtze region (Wu & Zhou, ; Wu, ), the timing of their extirpation across China is somewhat uncertain as material referred to M. gigas from some archaeological sites has not been adequately figured or described; we encourage further research to establish a more robust regional extinction chronology for the species, so that the dynamics and drivers of Asian large mammal range collapse can be better understood.…”

From Chinese Science Bulletin to Science Bulletin: celebrate the coming 50th birthday

“…In 2013, a special issue entitled ''Adaptive evolution and conservation ecology of wild animals'' was published. This special issue focuses on diverse hot topics in conservational biology including the influence of China's economic development on giant panda [72], factors that affect the natural regeneration of arrow bamboo in giant panda habitat [73], ranging pattern and population composition of Rhinopithecus bieti in Tibet [74], impacts of grassland fence on the behavior and habitat area of the Przewalski's gazelle [75]. Several questions in adaptive evolution were also addressed at molecular level, from the natural selection of leptin [76], variation and trans-species polymorphism MHC [77,78], to the molecular phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial gene fragments in Chinese viviparid genus Margarya [79].…”

Hearing sensitivity in context: Conservation implications for a highly vocal endangered species

“…Further, climate projections indicate that within 50 years, these reserves may no longer hold suitable bamboo stands for giant pandas and populations may shift outside reserve boundaries in search of appropriate habitat (Tuanmu et al, 2012). These range shifts will increase the potential for giant pandas to be in increased proximity to human activities, thus exposing them to a suite of potentially disturbing acoustic stimuli (Zhu et al, 2013).…”